President Joe Biden pledged Wednesday that western allies “will not waver” in defense of Ukraine, casting the struggle against Russian aggression as one of the world's central challenges requiring a broad coalition of countries to stand in defense of freedom.

“Our unity will not falter," Biden declared. "I promise you.”

He made the promise at the NATO summit in the capital of Lithuania, a country that he said knows the “transformational power of freedom" after spending decades under Moscow's thumb. He drew parallels between Lithuania's struggle to escape Soviet rule and Ukraine's ongoing fight to repel Russia's deadly invasion, highlighting the importance of rallying allies to take on the challenge.

“America never recognized the Soviet occupation of the Baltic," he said to an outpouring of cheers from a crowd of thousands in a courtyard at Vilnius University draped with American and Lithuanian flags. "Never, never.” More spectators gathered in an overflow area, where a big screen was set up.

Biden spent two days in Vilnius for the annual NATO summit, where members of the western military alliance pledged more support for Ukraine but stopped short of extending an invitation for the besieged country to join the alliance. After meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, who entered the summit demanding a clear path for his country toward joining the alliance, something that was initially promised back in 2008, Biden said that other security guarantees agreed to at the summit will be even more significant.

“One thing Zelenskyy understands now is that whether or not he’s in NATO now, it’s not relevant as long as he has commitments," Biden said, comparing the situation to how the U.S. ensures Israel's security edge over its neighbors.

The president pointed to the U.S. and allied response to Moscow's invasion as a model for how to respond to other global challenges, from climate change to the rise of China, saying nations' positions are stronger when they “build the broadest and deepest coalition.”

“Our commitment to Ukraine will not weaken,” he said. “We will stand for freedom today, tomorrow and for as long as it takes.”

The president was headed next to Finland, the newest member of NATO, for a meeting of Nordic leaders. During his speech, Biden hailed an agreement to advance Sweden's membership in NATO after Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan agreed to drop his objections.

"President Erdogan kept his word," Biden said, clearing a path for the alliance to have 32 members.

The U.S. president's enthusiasm for expanding NATO has not extended to Ukraine. He's expressed concerns about the country's readiness to join the alliance, as well as fears that the West could be drawn into a wider conflict with Russia.

The competing priorities in the midst of Europe’s bloodiest war in generations created an undercurrent of friction even as Biden and Zelenskyy projected a united front when they met earlier Wednesday. Their public encounter had the vibe of two leaders clearing the air, and each conspicuously heaped praise on his counterpart.

Biden lauded Zelenskyy and Ukrainians for their courage by saying it's “been a model for the whole world to see.” Zelenskyy thanked Biden and the American people for billions of dollars in military assistance, saying that “you spend this money for our lives.”

Wearing a blue-and-yellow-striped tie in the colors of the Ukrainian flag, Biden acknowledged that Zelenskyy has occasionally been unsatisfied by unfulfilled requests for weapons.

“The frustration, I can only imagine," Biden said. "I know that you're many times frustrated about whether things get to you quickly enough, what's getting to you and how we're getting it. But I promise you, the United States is doing everything we can to get you what you need.”

Biden also said the war had created a sense of unity about opposing international aggression.

“It’s bringing the world together," he said. "It’s a hell of a price to pay, but it’s bringing the world together.”

The meeting came after a few other encounters between Biden and Zelenskyy at the summit. They sat close to each other at the inaugural meeting of the NATO-Ukraine Council, a new forum that's intended to give Kyiv a greater voice within the alliance.

And they shared the stage as the Group of Seven, which includes the world's most powerful democratic countries, announced plans for long-term security assistance for Ukraine.

But Wednesday afternoon was the first opportunity for Biden and Zelenskyy to sit down privately with their advisers after their public comments.

And by then, Zelenskyy had softened his tone considerably. En route to Vilnius on Tuesday, he had blasted NATO's vague plans for Ukraine's eventual membership, tweeting, “It’s unprecedented and absurd when a time frame is set neither for the invitation nor for Ukraine’s membership.”

Jake Sullivan, Biden’s national security adviser, said everyone “needs to look squarely at the fact” that allowing Ukraine to join NATO at this point “means war with Russia.”

“That is an inescapable fact,” he told CNN.

Sullivan credited Biden with ensuring that NATO is “more unified and more determined and more decisive than at any point.”

“That’s President Biden’s legacy when it comes to NATO, and it’s one that he can be very proud of," he said.

In an interview with The Associated Press before Biden left on his trip, Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell said the president has been “heading in the right direction but not fast enough” when it comes to supporting Ukraine.

“The weapons transfers never seem to happen as soon as they’re announced,” said McConnell, a Kentucky Republican. Although Ukrainians are “extremely grateful for the help,” he said, the assistance "frequently doesn’t get there soon enough to be the most effective.”

Although McConnell has been a firm supporter of sending help to Ukraine, other Republicans have voiced skepticism, creating uncertainty about Biden's ability to make long-term financial commitments.

As the Russian invasion of Ukraine continues with no end in sight, NATO's much-celebrated unity faces fresh strains when leaders gather for their annual summit this week in Vilnius, Lithuania.

Video above: Biden Meets With Swedish Prime Minister in Support of NATO Bid

The world's biggest security alliance is struggling to reach an agreement on admitting Sweden as its 32nd member. Military spending by member nations lags behind long-standing goals. An inability to compromise over who should serve as NATO's next leader forced an extension of the current secretary-general's term for an extra year.

Perhaps the most difficult questions are over how Ukraine should be eased into NATO. Some maintain admitting Ukraine would fulfill a promise made years ago and be a necessary step to deter Russian aggression in Eastern Europe. Others fear it would be seen as a provocation that could spiral into an even wider conflict.

"I don't think it's ready for membership in NATO," President Joe Biden told CNN in an interview airing Sunday. He said joining NATO requires countries to "meet all the qualifications, from democratization to a whole range of other issues."

He said the United States should provide long-term security assistance to Ukraine — "the capacity to defend themselves" — as it does with Israel.

Bickering among friends is not uncommon, and the current catalog of disputes pales in comparison with past fears that Donald Trump would turn his back on the alliance during his presidency. But the current challenges come at a moment when Biden and his counterparts are heavily invested in demonstrating harmony among members.

"Any fissure, any lack of solidarity provides an opportunity for those who would oppose the alliance," said Douglas Lute, U.S. ambassador to NATO under President Barack Obama.

Russian President Vladimir Putin is eager to exploit divisions as he struggles to gain ground in Ukraine and faces political challenges at home, including the aftermath of a brief revolt by the Wagner mercenary group.

"You don't want to present any openings," Lute said. "You don't want to present any gaps or seams."

By some measures, the war in Ukraine has reinvigorated NATO, which was created at the beginning of the Cold War as a bulwark against Moscow. NATO members have poured military hardware into Ukraine to help with its counteroffensive, and Finland ended a history of nonalignment to become NATO's 31st member.

"I think it's appropriate to look at all the success," Senate Republican leader Mitch McConnell of Kentucky told The Associated Press. "So I think the invasion has strengthened NATO — exactly the opposite of what Putin anticipated."

He noted Germany's shift toward a more robust defense policy as well as increase in military spending in other countries.

The latest test of NATO solidarity came Friday with what Biden said was a "difficult decision" to provide cluster munitions to Ukraine. More than two-thirds of alliance members have banned the weapon because it has a track record for causing many civilian casualties. The U.S., Russia and Ukraine are not among the more than 120 countries that have not signed a convention outlawing the use of the bombs.

As for Ukraine's possible entry into NATO, the alliance said in 2008 that Kyiv eventually would become a member. Since then, little action has been taken toward that goal. Putin occupied parts of Ukraine in 2014 and then tried to capture the capital in 2022 with his invasion.

"A gray zone is a green light for Putin," said Daniel Fried, a former U.S. ambassador to Poland who is now a distinguished fellow at the Atlantic Council.

Ukraine's president, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, called for a unified signal from NATO on Ukraine and for his country to join the alliance.

"It would be an important message to say that NATO is not afraid of Russia," Zelenskyy said through a translator in an ABC interview, when asked whether he would come to Vilnius. "Ukraine should get clear security guarantees while it is not in NATO. And that is a very important point. Only under these conditions our meeting would be meaningful. Otherwise, it's just another politics."

The U.S. and Germany insist that the focus should be on supplying weapons and ammunition to Ukraine, rather than taking the more provocative step of extending a formal invitation to join NATO. Countries on NATO's Eastern flank — Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania and Poland — want firmer assurances on future membership.

NATO could decide to elevate its relationship with Ukraine, creating what would be known as the NATO-Ukraine Council and giving Kyiv a seat at the table for consultations.

Also in the spotlight in Vilnius will be Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, the main obstacle to Sweden's attempts to join NATO alongside neighbor Finland.

Erdogan accuses Sweden of being too lenient on anti-Islamic demonstrations and militant Kurdish groups that have waged a long insurgency in Turkey.

Sweden recently changed its anti-terrorism legislation and lifted an arms embargo on Turkey. But a man burned a Quran outside a mosque in Stockholm last week, and Erdogan signaled that this would pose another hurdle. He equated "those who permitted the crime" to those who perpetrated it.

Turkey and the U.S. are also at an impasse over the sale of F-16 fighter jets. Erdogan wants the upgraded planes, but Biden says Sweden's NATO membership has to be dealt with first. McConnell said in the AP interview that he supports the sale of the fighter jets to Turkey "provided that the membership of Sweden is settled."

It's not the first time that Erdogan has sought to use a NATO summit for Turkish gain. In 2009, he held up the nomination of Anders Fogh Rasmussen as secretary-general but agreed to the move after securing some senior posts for Turkish officials at the alliance.

Max Bergmann, a former State Department official who leads the Europe Program at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, said there's growing frustration among allies toward Erdogan, building on concerns about his ties to Putin, democratic backsliding and sanctions evasion.

"They've tried playing nice," Bergmann said. "The question is whether it's time to get much more confrontational."

Hungary's prime minister, Viktor Orban, is also delaying his country's approval of Sweden's membership. In response, Idaho Sen. Jim Risch, the top Republican on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, is blocking a $735 million U.S. arms sale to Hungary.

"We don't want members who aren't interested in doing everything possible to strengthen the alliance rather than the pursuit of their own or individual interests," Risch said. "I'm just sick and tired of it."

But he rejected the idea that these disagreements are a sign of weakness within NATO.

"These are kinds of things that always arise in an alliance," he said. "The fact that we've been able to deal with them and will continue to deal with them proves that this is the most successful and strongest military alliance in the history of the world."

At least one potentially difficult issue is off the summit agenda. Rather than seek consensus on a new NATO leader, members agreed to extend the tenure of Jens Stoltenberg, who's held the job since 2014, for a year. It's his fourth extension.

Most members wanted a woman to be the next secretary-general, and Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen had been considered a favorite. But Poland insisted on a candidate from the Baltic states because there had already been two Nordic secretaries general in a row. (Stoltenberg was a Norwegian prime minister and Rasmussen was a Danish prime minister.)

Others are skeptical of accepting a nominee from the Baltics, whose leaders tend to be more provocative in their approach to Russia, including supporting Ukraine's desire to rapidly join NATO.

More disagreements loom over NATO's updated plans for countering any invasion that Russia might launch on allied territory.

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Cook reported from Brussels. Associated Press writer Sylvie Corbet in Paris contributed to this report.

NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg said Monday Finland will become the 31st member of the world's biggest military alliance on Tuesday, prompting a warning from Russia that it would bolster its defenses near their joint border if NATO deploys any troops in its new member.

“This is a historic week," Stoltenberg told reporters on the eve of a meeting of NATO foreign ministers in Brussels. “From tomorrow, Finland will be a full member of the alliance.” He said that he hopes Sweden will be able to join NATO in coming months.

The former Norwegian prime minister said that on Tuesday afternoon, “we will raise the Finnish flag for the first time here at the NATO headquarters. It will be a good day for Finland’s security, for Nordic security, and for NATO as a whole.”

Stoltenberg said that Turkey, the last country to have ratified Finland’s membership, will hand its official texts to U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken on Tuesday. Stoltenberg said he would then invite Finland to do the same.

Finnish President Sauli Niinistö and Defense Minister Antti Kaikkonen will attend the ceremony, along with Foreign Minister Pekka Haavisto.

“It is a historic moment for us. For Finland, the most important objective at the meeting will be to emphasize NATO’s support to Ukraine as Russia continues its illegal aggression," Haavisto said in a statement. "We seek to promote stability and security throughout the Euro-Atlantic region.”

Russia’s Deputy Foreign Minister Alexander Grushko said that Moscow would respond to Finland becoming NATO’s member by bolstering its defenses if needed.

“We will strengthen our military potential in the west and in the northwest,” Grushko said in remarks carried by the state RIA Novosti news agency. “In case of deployment of forces of other NATO members on the territory of Finland, we will take addition steps to ensure Russia’s military security.”

The announcement of Finland's entry comes just after Finnish voters gave a boost to conservative parties in a weekend election, depriving left-wing Prime Minister Sanna Marin of another term. Marin had championed her country's NATO accession.

Fearing that they might be targeted after Russia invaded Ukraine a year ago, the Nordic neighbors Finland and Sweden abandoned their traditional positions of military non-alignment to seek protection under NATO’s security umbrella.

All 30 allies signed Finland’s and Sweden’s accession protocols. Turkey and Hungary delayed the process for months but have relented on Finland. Turkey has sought guarantees and assurances from the two, notably on tackling extremism. Hungary's demands have never been explicit.

NATO must agree unanimously for new members to join. NATO officials are also keen to bring Sweden within the fold before U.S. President Joe Biden and his alliance counterparts meet in the Lithuanian capital Vilnius on July 11-12.

“Sweden is not left alone. Sweden is as close as it can come as a full-fledged member,” Stoltenberg said.

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Jari Tanner in Helsinki contributed to this report.

Amid heightened tensions between Ukraine and Russia, lawmakers are looking at the potential implications of the next moves. 

The Pentagon announced it planned to send forces to Poland, Romania and Germany to bolster NATO's eastern flank, while more forces remain on standby. 

The U.S. Helsinki Commission, a commission independent of the federal government, met Wednesday to discuss the developing situation and hear insight into the implications beyond Ukraine and what messages potential U.S. actions send. 

"The Kremlin's threat menaces not only Ukraine, our partners in Georgia, and the wider region but also the long-cherished dream and long-standing bipartisan U.S. policy to work towards a Europe whole and free," said Sen. Ben Cardin, the commission's chairman. 

It comes as Congress debates sanctions on Russia. Ukraine's foreign minister said it's preparing for all possible scenarios, but that active diplomacy works. 

"It puts a lot of pressure on us but it is still insufficient for a large-scale military operation against Ukraine," said Dmytro Kuleba in a video released by the Ukranian Foreign Ministry. 

During the commission hearing, lawmakers heard expert testimony into Ukraine and Russia from high-profile witnesses. Experts told lawmakers unity seen surrounding the conflict may have surprised Putin. 

Former ambassador to Ukraine William Taylor explained it can't be assumed Putin’s bluffing since he’s invaded before, but that he’s looking at unity and the possibility of severe sanctions. Taylor said actions have appeared to deter an invasion for now, but reiterated strong steps until Putin withdraws military force.

Former U.S. National Security Council official Fiona Hill told lawmakers Russia may feel emboldened by developments in Eurasia, and look at the U.S.' role in addressing upheavals.

 

"We should continue to make clear to Moscow we are open to negotiation as Chairman Cardin has said … but not under the current coercive circumstances," said Hill. "We need to reframe this crisis for what it is as the administration has just done in the United Nations. This Is not a proxy conflict, this is not aggression by the United States or NATO, this is not a righteous effort to counter some great historic wrong as President Putin says. This is an act of post-colonial revisionism."

On the Hill, the move to send troops to Europe drew praise, as well as a split reaction between high-profile Republicans. 

Senator Lindsey Graham said he completely supports the decision, while Senator Josh Hawley called it a mistake, pushing for a focus on China instead. Senator Mitch McConnell praised it, but also called for more assistance to Ukraine and sanctions now. 

"Yesterday, I was glad to hear that U.S. forces are finally moving to reinforce our Eastern Flank allies. I urged President Biden to take this step nearly two months ago. I hope this belated action will lead other NATO allies to follow suit," McConnell said.

This story was originally published by Haley Bull of Newsy.

President Joe Biden has approved the deployment of 3,000 U.S. troops to Poland, Germany and Romania to bolster NATO countries in Eastern Europe.

The deployments, U.S. officials have told CNN, are a show of support to NATO allies feeling threatened by Russia's buildup of troops near Ukraine's border.

To be clear, there is no plan for U.S. troops to engage Russian troops, and the White House and the Pentagon have stressed that American service members will not be entering Ukraine.

"They are moves designed to respond to the current security environment," Pentagon press secretary John Kirby said Wednesday, adding that these forces "are not going to fight in Ukraine."

While the shuffling of troops marks the most significant sign yet that the U.S. is preparing for the prospect of a Russian invasion of Ukraine, U.S. troop movement is not unusual at all. And there are a number of options under which a president can deploy troops.

Here's what you need to know:

Exercises and basing

The U.S. can, and does, frequently send troops to Europe to participate in exercises with partner nations.

U.S. troops are stationed at bases across the continent, and these exercises and stations are built upon agreements with each nation individually or with a treaty alliance such as NATO.

Bilateral agreements or requests

These deployments are made in consultation with ally nations and with the agreement of both countries. This is the dynamic playing out now, with NATO allies having asked for U.S. troops to bolster their own defenses and to send a stronger message of deterrence to Russian President Vladimir Putin.

But while NATO allies are receiving U.S. troops, the deployment is a U.S. deployment done in consultation with these allies -- not a NATO deployment.

NATO

As part of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization, the U.S. also has commitments to come to the assistance of ally countries and to provide for the overall defense of NATO.

Part of that defense entails the NATO Response Force, a multinational, 40,000-strong force. In 2014, partially in response to the Russian invasion of Crimea, NATO created the Very High Readiness Joint Task Force, which is part of the Readiness Action Plan for quick responses to a changing security environment.

NATO has not activated the NATO Response Force -- which has also been used in disaster relief -- in regard to Russia's actions on Ukraine's border, but the Pentagon has said that it has 8,500 troops on heightened readiness in case it does. And the U.S. and NATO have tens of thousands of other troops already in Europe to draw on for any additional deployments to Eastern European allies.

Kirby said Wednesday that the troops being deployed were separate from the 8,500 U.S. troops on heightened alert. The Pentagon is "not ruling out the possibility that there will be more" U.S. troop movements in the coming days, Kirby said.

In 2005, aircraft from the NATO Response Force delivered NATO relief supplies to the U.S. in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, and last August, the NATO Response Force was activated to support the evacuation of Afghans who had previously worked alongside NATO.

Authorized use of military force

This is the most controversial option on the list, but one that has been used repeatedly to send troops to war since the Sept. 11 attacks. As of now, there has been no move to seek congressional authorization to use force in regard to the Russia-Ukraine tensions.

The 2001 Authorization for Use of Military Force comprises only one long sentence. But its 60 broadly written words have helped pave the way for years of military activity. According to official documents, Presidents George W. Bush, Barack Obama and Donald Trump all invoked it during their tenures.

While Republicans and Democrats alike have expressed a desire to update the 2001 Authorization for Use of Military Force, which authorized the global war on terror, and the 2002 authorization for the Iraq War, the consensus has been bogged down amid disputes over how a new authorization would deal with the scope of the mission, time constraints and the use of U.S. ground troops.

The Constitution, meanwhile, states explicitly that only Congress has the authority to declare war, a power that has been invoked five times in U.S. history: The War of 1812, the Mexican-American War, the Spanish-American War, and World Wars I and II.

WASHINGTON, D.C. — Tensions remain high around the world as Russia continues to gather troops at its border with Ukraine.

The U.S. says there are now more than 100,00 Russian troops at the border.

But why is Russia so interested in Ukraine?

NEED FOR HISTORY

The eastern European country of Ukraine is home to 44 million people.

The capital of Ukraine and the capital of Russia are separated by about an 11-hour drive.

Tensions between Ukraine and Russia have been high for years. Russia invaded the country in 2014.

“We are just seeing the Russians and Putin, in this case, try and restore Mother Russia,” said Jim Townsend, who is the United States' former deputy secretary of Defense for Europe and NATO.

During the Cold War, Russia was part of the Soviet Union and the Soviet Union consisted of much of Eastern Europe, including Ukraine.

Townsend says its collapse in the 1990s has always upset Russian President Vladimir Putin.

“Putin was a creature of the Cold War," Townsend said. "He laid this out in a speech this past summer, saying there isn’t really a country of Ukraine. Ukraine is Russia.”

Many Ukrainians, of course, disagree. That is why leaders there have increased their reliance on the West.

U.S. military equipment has been used in Ukraine for years.

The Florida National Guard is even training Ukrainian troops right now, which upsets Moscow.

“He doesn’t want to see those forces too close to him," Townsend says.

"He equates this to the Cuban missile crisis. 'How would you feel United States if we went back into Cuba,'” Townsend added

IMPACT ON YOU

A conflict, if it happens, could impact American life.

U.S. troops could deploy to the region and gas prices could go up since Russia produces so much of the world’s energy.

As for why now, Townsend says Russia may think conditions are right for them to get away with it.

Germany's longtime leader Angela Merkel just left office, Great Britain has left the EU and President Joe Biden is struggling to convince the world he can heal America's divisions. The messy withdrawal from Afghanistan also didn't help the situation.

“It’s a time when the West is in a bit of disarray," Townsend said.

BRUSSELS (AP) — The Pentagon says that Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin has put up to 8,500 troops on heightened alert, so they will be prepared to deploy if needed to reassure NATO allies in the face of ongoing Russian aggression on the border of Ukraine.

Pentagon press secretary John Kirby said Monday no final decisions have been made on deployments.

He said the order is about ensuring that the U.S. is ready to respond if NATO decides to deploy its response force.

Kirby said: "What this is about is reassurance to our NATO allies."

The news comes after the U.S. Embassy and American personnel families in Kyiv were ordered on Sunday by the State Department to leave the country.

Earlier on Monday, NATO said Denmark was sending ships to the Baltic Sea, and planes to Lithuania. Spain was also sending ships and possible fighter jets to Bulgaria. France could send troops to Romania if needed.

On Friday, U.S. and Russian diplomats met in Geneva, where Secretary of State Antony Blinken warned after a meeting that a Russian invasion of Ukraine would be "met with a severe and a united response."