February 22, 2023
2 mins read

Biden to meet eastern flank NATO leaders

Before departing Warsaw on Wednesday, Biden will hold talks with leaders from the Bucharest Nine…reports Asian Lite News

President Joe Biden is wrapping up his whirlwind, four-day visit to Poland and Ukraine by reassuring eastern flank NATO allies that his administration is highly attuned to the looming threats and other impacts spurred by the grinding Russian invasion of Ukraine.

Before departing Warsaw on Wednesday, Biden will hold talks with leaders from the Bucharest Nine, a collection of nations on the most eastern parts of the NATO alliance that came together in response to Russian President Vladimir Putin’s 2014 annexation of Crimea from Ukraine.

As the war in Ukraine drags on, the Bucharest Nine countries’ anxieties have remained heightened. Many worry Putin could move to take military action against them next if he’s successful in Ukraine. The alliance includes Bulgaria, the Czech Republic, Estonia, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Romania and Slovakia.

“When Russia invaded, it wasn’t just Ukraine being tested. The whole world faced a test for the ages,” Biden said in an address from the foot of Warsaw’s Royal Castle on Tuesday to mark the somber milestone of the year-old Russian invasion. “Europe was being tested. America was being tested. NATO was being tested. All democracies were being tested.”

Biden met Tuesday in Warsaw with Moldovan President Maia Sandu, who last week claimed Moscow was behind a plot to overthrow her country’s government using external saboteurs.

Sandwiched between Ukraine and Romania and one of Europe’s poorest countries, the Eastern European nation has had historic ties to Russia but wants to join the 27-nation European Union. Biden in his remarks endorsed Moldova’s bid to join the EU

“I’m proud to stand with you and the freedom-loving people of Moldova,” Biden said of Sandu and her country in his Tuesday address.

Since Russia invaded Ukraine nearly a year ago, Moldova, a former Soviet republic of about 2.6 million people, has sought to forge closer ties with its Western partners. Last June, it was granted EU candidate status, the same day as Ukraine.

Sandu spoke out last week about a Russian plot “to overthrow the constitutional order.” She spoke out after Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said his country had intercepted plans by Russian secret services to destroy Moldova. Those claims were later confirmed by Moldovan intelligence officials.

ALSO READ: Putin’s craven lust for land & power will fail: Biden

Previous Story

‘World was bracing for fall of Ukraine but Kyiv stands tall’

Next Story

China lends $700m financing for Pakistan

Latest from USA

Trump to Meet Pak PM at UNGA

The US President has already engaged with Pakistan’s military leadership, having hosted Army Chief Asim Munir for a lunch meeting in June….reports Asian Lite News The White House announced on Monday that

Rubio Calls India ‘Critical’ to US

Rubio “expressed his appreciation for the Indian government’s continued engagement on a number of issues including trade…reports Asian Lite News US Secretary of State Marco Rubio has described India as “critically important”

Piyush Goyal in US for Trade Talks

Goyal’s trip to the US capital follows the visit of the US team of officials to Delhi on September 16….reports Asian Lite News Union Minister for Commerce and Industry Piyush Goyal was

Jaishankar, Rubio Meet Amid H-1B Row

This marks the third in-person meeting between Jaishankar and Rubio this year. …reports Asian Lite News External Affairs Minister (EAM) S. Jaishankar will meet US Secretary of State Marco Rubio in New

Trump, Xi approve TikTok deal

The announcement marks a significant de-escalation in the tech standoff that has simmered for years, casting a shadow over the future of the video-sharing platform owned by the Chinese company ByteDance. US
Go toTop

Don't Miss

Murderer of Indian-American cop gets death sentence

During the proceedings for determining the penalty, the court heard

US Commerce secy Raimondo due in China next week

Raimondo’s trip which encompasses visits to Beijing and Shanghai from