Biden seeks ‘united’ alliance at vital NATO summit in Lithuania.

VILNIUS, Lithuania—U.S. President Joe Biden embarks on a series of meetings with world leaders on Tuesday at a “consequential” North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) summit in Vilnius, Lithuania.

“This is a historic moment,” Biden told NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg during their meeting.

“We’re looking for a continued united NATO,” Mr. Biden said, confidently asserting that Russian President Vladimir Putin’s attempts to divide the alliance will ultimately fail.

Biden emphasized the significance of adding Finland and Sweden to NATO, stating that it is a “consequential” move. He also expressed his support for a plan that would allow Ukraine to join the alliance in the future.

The high-stakes summit, scheduled for July 11–12, brings together leaders from the alliance’s 31 member countries to discuss crucial global security challenges.

Here’s what the U.S. president hopes to accomplish during the two-day summit:

2 Percent Spending Target

According to the White House, this year’s Vilnius summit will address the goal of raising defense spending by member countries, which has been a major U.S. objective for several years.

NATO countries committed nearly a decade ago to increase defense spending to 2 percent of their GDP. However, only seven countries—the United States, Estonia, Greece, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, and the UK—met the 2 percent requirement last year.

Washington aims to make the 2 percent goal a minimum requirement rather than a maximum limit, and the Vilnius summit is expected to initiate that discussion, as stated by White House National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan during his briefing on July 11 in Vilnius.

NATO defense spending has risen by approximately 30 percent since Russia’s annexation of Crimea in 2014. However, the commitment made in Wales at the 2014 summit to increase spending expires next year, so the United States wants allies to commit to further investments during this year’s summit.

The three Baltic countries—Lithuania, Latvia, and Estonia—have already pledged to raise defense spending to 3 percent of GDP. In response to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, Poland has also announced plans to increase its defense budget to 4 percent of GDP.

One significant obstacle, however, is that eurozone countries have agreed not to run large budget deficits. Therefore, the goals being discussed at the NATO summit may be unrealistic for many Western European countries, particularly Spain.

“We need to invest more in our defense. And we will be adding a new defense investment pledge where we stated that 2 percent of GDP for defense is a minimum,” Mr. Stoltenberg said during his meeting with Mr. Biden.

“And the good news is that the European Allies and Canada are stepping up this year,” he added.

Ukraine Tops the Agenda

According to the White House, Ukraine will be a major focus of this year’s summit, with allies engaging in discussions about security guarantees, the country’s future membership, and assistance to the war-torn nation. However, there are significant differences among allies regarding Ukraine’s eventual membership.

The United States, Germany, and the southern NATO partners have taken a more cautious approach to Ukraine’s membership, while the Baltic states and Eastern European nations like Poland hold a more assertive stance.

Despite the wide spectrum of views among allies, observers anticipate a middle-ground agreement to be reached during the Vilnius summit.

Ukraine formally applied to join the alliance last year, but Mr. Biden has repeatedly stated in recent days that Ukraine cannot join until its conflict with Russia is resolved, citing Article 5 of the North Atlantic Treaty. The treaty establishes the principle of collective defense, which means that any attack on a NATO member “shall be considered an attack against them all.”

During a recent interview with CNN, Mr. Biden expressed his belief that the war with Russia must come to an end before NATO can admit Ukraine.

“I don’t think there is unanimity in NATO about whether or not to bring Ukraine into the NATO family now, at this moment, in the middle of a war,” he said.

“It’s a commitment that we’ve all made, no matter what. If the war is going on, then we’re all in war. We’re at war with Russia if that were the case.”

Mr. Biden also emphasized the need for the United States and NATO allies to present a “rational path” for Ukraine to qualify for membership in the military alliance.

The White House also indicated that Ukraine could receive “Israel-style” security guarantees in its fight against Russia.

That means the United States would “provide various forms of military assistance, intelligence and information sharing, cyber support and other forms of material support so that Ukraine can effectively defend itself against Russian aggression,” Mr. Sullivan explained.