NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg appeared to avoid a question about whether President Biden is mentally fit to lead NATO on a turbulent world stage, telling Fox News on Sunday that he would refuse to take part in any debate within the United States.
“What I can say is that I had a meaningful, productive meeting with President Biden in the Oval Office a few weeks ago, and we will be making important decisions at the NATO summit in Washington this week about deterrence, defense, Ukraine and working more closely with Asia-Pacific countries to address the threats and challenges posed by China,” he told Fox News’ Joey Jones.
He added, “Of course, all of these decisions being made this week would not have been possible without U.S. leadership, so I look forward to the important summit in Washington this week.”
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The appearance on “Fox & Friends Weekend” came as world leaders are scheduled to meet in Washington, DC. Summit commemorating the 75th anniversary of NATO’s founding.
This also comes just over a week after President Biden was the subject of media coverage for his mental acuity following his debate performance with former President Donald Trump.
Pressing Stoltenberg on the matter, Jones highlighted America’s national security concerns and international interests, including Ukraine, and asked Stoltenberg whether he had personally observed any signs of cognitive decline in the president.
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“If I started answering questions like that, I would get embroiled in a debate in the United States. The reason NATO has been the most successful alliance in history is because we have not interfered in personal domestic issues, and I intend to continue to do so,” he said. “The important thing is that we have made a lot of progress together. For example, on defense spending, our European allies are now spending more than ever on defense. Twenty-three allies are spending more than the NATO defense guideline of 2 percent. That’s great progress,” he added.
Stoltenberg also spoke about aid to Ukraine, which is set to be a key topic at this week’s summit, stressing that the impact of the war is not just on Ukraine and Russia, but on other countries that have been in the spotlight recently, including China, Iran and North Korea, who are allegedly backing Russia in the war.
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“A Putin victory in Ukraine would not only embolden him, but it would embolden President Xi Jinping. It would show authoritarian leaders in Beijing and Moscow that they can use military force to get their way. So it is in our security interest to support Ukraine. It is not charity. It is in our interest to support Ukraine,” he said.
As the debate over NATO and Ukraine continues, there has been ongoing speculation that the country may join NATO, but Secretary General Stoltenberg said he did not expect Ukraine to accept an invitation.
“We will help Ukraine get closer to membership and provide training equipment to help move the Ukrainian military towards meeting NATO standards, but we will not make the decision to join,” he added.
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