The US president met with the leaders of the nine easternmost NATO nations, while the Russian president held talks with China’s top diplomat.
Joseph Biden stated that the United States will defend “literally every inch of NATO” against Russian aggression. As Moscow welcomed China’s increased involvement in “resolving” the Ukraine conflict.
The president of the United States has convened with leaders from the Bucharest Nine, a group of nations in the most eastern portions of the NATO alliance that formed in response to Putin’s 2014 annexation of Crimea from Ukraine.
Bulgaria, the Czech Republic, Estonia, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Romania, and Slovakia are all members of the alliance.
The nations worry that if Mr. Putin wins in Ukraine, he may attack them.
Mr. Biden said of the group, “You are the vanguard of our collective defense.”
“And you, more than anyone else, are aware of the stakes in this conflict. Not only for Ukraine but also for the freedom of democracies across Europe and the globe.”
He vowed that NATO’s mutual defense treaty is “sacred” and that “we will defend every square inch of NATO.”
Putin is met by China’s senior diplomat in Russia.
Wang Yi, China’s top envoy, met Putin in Russia.
Following the meeting, Mr. Putin expressed his eagerness for Chinese President Xi Jinping’s visit to Moscow.
He added that no other nation could influence the relationship between China and Russia.
Maria Zakharova, a Russian foreign ministry spokesperson, said Mr. Wang’s trip showed Moscow and Beijing share many goals.
Ms. Zakharova praised China’s “balanced approach” to the conflict.
“We applaud China’s willingness to play a constructive role in resolving the Ukrainian crisis,” Ms. Zakharova said.
Mr. Wang was quoted in Russian state media as saying that China will “firmly adhere to an objective and impartial position and play a constructive role in the political resolution of the crisis.”
China has refused to criticize the invasion of Ukraine while condemning sanctions imposed on Russia.
In exchange, Russia has supported China during tensions with the United States over Taiwan.
Russia and China are scheduled to commence military exercises in South Africa on Friday, and Russia has sent a frigate equipped with hypersonic cruise missiles of the latest generation.
Moscow would fire artillery but not rockets due to their speed.
Putin is “proud” of the Ukrainian soldiers engaged in combat
The visit of the senior Chinese diplomat to Russia occurred as Vladimir Putin addressed a massive rally in Moscow.
He stated that Russia is “proud of those fighting in Ukraine to defend the fatherland” and that “the entire country” backs them.
As he spoke, chants of “Russia, Russia, Russia” could be heard all around him.
Approximately 200,000 people congregated in Moscow to hear Mr. Putin’s speech.
Biden criticizes Russia’s decision to suspend nuclear treaty cooperation.
Mr. Biden said Mr. Putin made a “huge error” by suspending Russia’s involvement in the last US-Russian nuclear treaty.
As he arrived at the presidential palace in Warsaw for the Bucharest Nine summit, he remarked to reporters.
Moscow has asserted that its withdrawal from the New START treaty does not increase the danger of nuclear war.
The decision is anticipated to have an immediate impact on US visibility into Russian nuclear activities. As it permits each party to inspect up to 18 strategic nuclear weapons sites annually.
The treaty also limits the number of strategic nuclear warheads that the United States and Russia can deploy.
Russia has pledged to maintain the treaty’s nuclear weapons limits.
According to the Interfax news agency, Sergei Ryabkov, deputy foreign minister, “I do not believe that the decision to suspend the New START Treaty brings us closer to nuclear conflict.”
Despite the remarks made by the foreign minister, former Russian president Dmitry Medvedev stated that the world was “on the verge of a global conflict.”
“If the United States desires Russia’s defeat, we reserve the right to defend ourselves with any means necessary, including nuclear weapons,” he wrote.
Mr. Biden stated that Russia’s decision to suspend its participation in the New START treaty was a grave error.
The remark and his assurance that the United States would safeguard eastern NATO territory came a day after he delivered a highly anticipated speech in the gardens of the Royal Castle in Warsaw.
Mr. Biden warned that, if unchecked, Russian aggression would not halt at Ukraine’s borders. “The autocrat’s appetites cannot be satisfied,” he said. “They must be opposed.”
He also met with Moldovan President Maia Sandu in Warsaw, who alleged last week that Moscow was plotting to overthrow her country’s government using external saboteurs.
She spoke out after Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky claimed that his country had discovered Russian secret service plans to annihilate Moldova. Later, Moldovan intelligence officials verified these claims.
Meanwhile, Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban, a right-wing populist who argued last week that the European Union is partially to blame for prolonging Russia’s conflict in Ukraine, skipped the Bucharest Nine meeting with Mr. Biden.
President Katalin Novak attended instead.
We must stop the cycle of Russian aggression.
“We don’t know when the conflict will end, but when it does, we must ensure that history does not repeat itself,” said NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg, who attended the meeting.
He cited past Russian actions in Georgia and Ukraine as examples: “We cannot permit Russia to continue undermining European security. We must stop the cycle of Russian aggression.”
Meanwhile, Kyiv has stated that there can be no discussions of peace with the Russian military in Ukraine.
