©Archives: NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg (R) and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky attend a joint press conference on the sidelines of the NATO Summit in Vilnius on July 12, 2023. (Photo by PETRAS MALUKAS / AFP)
It was supposed to be a grand celebration of the 75th anniversary of a strengthened alliance. Instead, this week's NATO summit in Washington is likely to be overshadowed by uncertainties over Ukraine and political turbulence on both sides of the Atlantic.
From Tuesday to Thursday, a strange atmosphere will hang over the US capital as Joe Biden welcomes his 31 NATO counterparts, amid concerns about his ability to confront Donald Trump in the upcoming November presidential election.
French President Emmanuel Macron will also face scrutiny after the political upheaval caused by the unprecedented rise of the far right in the legislative elections.
Adding to the tension, Hungary's Prime Minister Viktor Orban, the current President of the European Union, will attend fresh from a controversial trip to Moscow where he held talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin.
These events are expected to animate discussions among the leaders during working sessions, formal dinners, and side meetings at the summit.
"There are a lot of exchanges and doubts linked to our respective domestic situations," said a European official last week. The aim of the summit "will be to dispel these perceptions," he said on condition of anonymity.
The leaders of NATO, founded in 1949 during the Soviet Union era and recently expanded to include Finland and Sweden after Russia's invasion of Ukraine, will be keen to demonstrate their unity.
What message should they send to Ukraine? This will be the big question at this summit, where President Volodymyr Zelensky is also expected to attend.
With AFP
From Tuesday to Thursday, a strange atmosphere will hang over the US capital as Joe Biden welcomes his 31 NATO counterparts, amid concerns about his ability to confront Donald Trump in the upcoming November presidential election.
French President Emmanuel Macron will also face scrutiny after the political upheaval caused by the unprecedented rise of the far right in the legislative elections.
Adding to the tension, Hungary's Prime Minister Viktor Orban, the current President of the European Union, will attend fresh from a controversial trip to Moscow where he held talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin.
These events are expected to animate discussions among the leaders during working sessions, formal dinners, and side meetings at the summit.
"There are a lot of exchanges and doubts linked to our respective domestic situations," said a European official last week. The aim of the summit "will be to dispel these perceptions," he said on condition of anonymity.
The leaders of NATO, founded in 1949 during the Soviet Union era and recently expanded to include Finland and Sweden after Russia's invasion of Ukraine, will be keen to demonstrate their unity.
What message should they send to Ukraine? This will be the big question at this summit, where President Volodymyr Zelensky is also expected to attend.
With AFP
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