Biden, Zelenskyy to hold one-on-one talks at NATO summit in show of unity

The ongoing NATO summit in the Lithuanian capital Vilnius is expected to bring together US President Joe Biden and Ukraine's Volodymyr Zelenskyy, if the latter chooses to attend the high-profile event. According to a White House official and two sources who spoke to Politico, the meeting between the duo will take place on Wednesday.

So far, Zelenskyy's attendance at the summit has not been confirmed by the Ukrainian government. But if the embattled leader decides to head to Vilnius, meeting Biden would be a complex affair. It would involve back-and-forth talks on Kyiv's prospect of joining NATO, a matter that the American president has somewhat opposed. 

The 80-year-old insists that Ukraine must create reforms and achieve the prerequisites of gaining a NATO membership. In a conversation with CNN on the 500th day of the Russia-Ukraine war, Biden said, "I don’t think it’s ready for membership in NATO."  

His stance was reiterated by White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre, who stressed during a briefing last Wednesday: “The President has said this over and over again: Ukraine would have to make reforms to meet the same standards as any NATO country before they join,” she told reporters. 

Ukraine remains keen on NATO membership

On the other hand, Kyiv desperately counts on the summit for its entry into the military alliance. Previously, Zelenskyy made it clear that he does not wish to attend the summit just "for fun”. Instead, he aims to use the platform to find a clear pathway to Ukraine becoming a NATO member.

“It would be an important message to say that NATO is not afraid of Russia. Ukraine should get clear security guarantees while it is not in NATO. Only under these conditions, our meeting would be meaningful, otherwise it’s just another politics,” he said in an interview with ABC. However, NATO members remain wary, since welcoming the country to the alliance would directly make it a part of the raging war.