Biden promises that the US will defend “every inch” of NATO’s eastern flank against Putin

In his last engagement before returning to Washington, Joe Biden he met with the Bucharest Nine, a group formed by the countries that joined ON THAT between 1997 and 2004, after the collapse of the Soviet Union. After confirming Monday’s support for Kiev in the face of Russian aggression, the US president concluded in Warsaw his commitment to the defense of Eastern European nations and recognized the strategic nature of their geographical location. “You are the first line of our collective defense. And you know better than anyone what is at stake in this conflict, not only for Ukraine, but also for the freedom of democracies throughout Europe and the world,” he said.

Thus, Biden confirmed that an attack by Russia on any of the nine countries would lead to a call to Article 5 of the Treaty on NATO and intervene in the defense of the attacked country. “It is absolutely clear: Article 5 is a sacred commitment that the United States has made,” he said. “We will defend every inch of NATO. Every centimeter,” he insisted.

He The Bucharest Nine group was formed in 2015, after the illegal annexation of Crimea by Russia, precisely on the basis of the threat posed by Russia with its expansionist ambitions to those member countries. Most of these countries support increased US involvement on NATO’s eastern flank.

The meeting was attended by the presidents of Poland, Lithuania, Latvia, Estonia, Romania, Bulgaria and Slovakia, as well as the Czech prime minister. Prime Minister Viktor Orbán, Moscow’s main ally within the EU, was not present on the Hungarian side, who was replaced on this occasion by the country’s president, Katalin Novàk.

For his part, the Secretary General of the Atlantic Alliance, Jens Stoltenberg, emphasized the need for the allied countries to maintain a common front against the Russian invasion of Ukraine. “Russia is not preparing for peace. On the contrary, he is preparing for a new war. Therefore, we must help Ukraine with everything necessary to resist and win,” he defended himself.

Before entering the presidential palace in Warsaw and answering a question from reporters, Joe Biden described Vladimir Putin’s decision to suspend Russia’s participation in the START nuclear disarmament treaty as a “serious mistake.”