总统乔·拜登在立陶宛维尔纽斯举行的为期两天、关系重大的北约峰会结束后，奥巴马星期三在一次重要讲话中强调了盟国的团结。
拜登对聚集在维尔纽斯大学院子里的一大群人发表讲话，他在那里宣扬联盟的力量以及继续支持阿富汗的重要性乌克兰对抗俄罗斯侵略者。
拜登说:“今天，我们的联盟仍然是全球安全和稳定的堡垒，就像过去70多年一样。”
“北约比其历史上任何时候都更强大，更有活力，是的，更团结，”他继续说道。“事实上，这对我们共同的未来更为重要。这不是偶然发生的。”
拜登说，俄罗斯总统弗拉基米尔·普京认为这个联盟会破裂，但美国却建立了一个由50多个国家组成的联盟来支持乌克兰的主权。
“我们不会动摇，”拜登说。“我是说真的。我们对乌克兰的承诺不会减弱。我们将在今天、明天以及任何时候捍卫自由。”
拜登强调，对一个盟国的攻击就是对所有国家的攻击，因为他发誓北约将永远捍卫自己的人民和领土。
“捍卫自由不是一天或一年的工作，”拜登说。“这是我们一生的召唤;有史以来。我们为未来的斗争做好了准备。我向你们保证，我们的团结不会动摇。”
周三早些时候，当拜登会见乌克兰总统泽伦斯基时，所有的目光都集中在他身上。这位乌克兰领导人表示，他与拜登进行了“良好、有力的”讨论，讨论时间是原定时间的两倍。
尽管他早些时候对乌克兰加入联盟缺乏明确的时间表持严厉态度，但泽伦斯基说，他对峰会的结果感到满意，他坐在拜登旁边。
泽伦斯基说:“我们的领导人非常团结，安全保证，这是这次峰会的成功，我认为是这样，但这是我的看法。”
美国和全球盟友公布了对乌克兰的新安全承诺，并保证基辅在战争结束后和实施某些改革后在该条约组织中拥有一席之地。
泽伦斯基还特别提到了美国提供的援助，感谢拜登上周决定派遣有争议的集束弹药乌克兰继续对俄罗斯进行反攻。
拜登赞扬了泽伦斯基和乌克兰的“韧性和决心”，并表示他期待着他们能够庆祝正式加入北约的那一天。
当美国广播公司新闻(ABC News)问泽伦斯基，乌克兰希望在冲突结束后多久加入联盟时，拜登讽刺地回答说“一小时二十分钟”。
拜登本周早些时候获得了一项重大外交政策胜利，当时土耳其同意支持瑞典加入联盟的申请，这是这个北欧国家申请加入联盟一年多后的突然逆转。
总统强烈要求瑞典加入，并赞扬了总理乌尔夫·克里斯特松和土耳其总统雷杰普·塔伊普·埃尔多安在峰会前夕达成的协议。有人提出了问题关于美国在该协议中发挥了多大作用，奥巴马政府周二宣布，它正在推进向安卡拉出售美国F-16战斗机的可能性。
在立陶宛首都发表演讲后，拜登将前往芬兰赫尔辛基参加美国-北欧领导人峰会。在那里，他将庆祝芬兰成为北约联盟的最新成员。
'We will not waver': Biden highlights unity on Ukraine as high-stakes NATO summit ends
President Joe Biden highlighted allied unity in a major speech Wednesday following a two-day, high-stakes NATO summit in Vilnius, Lithuania.
Biden spoke to a large crowd gathered in the courtyard at Vilnius University, where he touted the strength of the alliance and the importance of continued support for Ukraine against Russian invaders.
"Today, our alliance remains a bulwark of global security and stability as it's been for more than seven decades," Biden said.
"NATO is stronger, more energized, and yes, more united than ever in its history," he continued. "Indeed, more vital to our shared future. It didn't happen by accident."
Biden said Russian President Vladimir Putin thought the alliance would fracture, but instead the U.S. has built a coalition of more than 50 nations to support Ukraine's sovereignty.
“We will not waver," Biden said. "I mean that. Our commitment to Ukraine will not weaken. We will stand for liberty and freedom today and tomorrow and for as long as it takes."
Biden emphasized an attack on one allied nation is an attack on all as he vowed NATO would always defend its people and territory.
"The defense of freedom is not the work of a day or a year," Biden said. "It's the calling of our lifetime; of all time. We are steeled for the struggle ahead. Our unity will not falter, I promise you."
All eyes were on Biden earlier Wednesday as he met with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. The Ukrainian leader said he had a "good, powerful" discussion with Biden that ran twice as long as scheduled.
Despite his earlier harsh tone over the lack of a clear timeline for Ukraine to join the alliance, Zelenskyy said he felt satisfied with the outcome of the summit as he sat alongside Biden.
"We have great unity from our leaders and security guarantees, that is a success for this summit, I think so, but it's my opinion," Zelenskyy said.
The U.S. and global allies unveiled new security commitments for Ukraine, and reassured Kyiv has a place in the treaty organization after the war is over and after certain reforms are implemented.
Zelenskyy also singled out the aid provided by the U.S., thanking Biden for his decision last week to send controversial cluster munitions to Ukraine as it continues its counteroffensive against Russia.
Biden praised Zelenskyy and Ukraine for their "resilience and resolve" and said he looks forward to the day they can celebrate their official entry into NATO.
When ABC News asked Zelenskyy how soon Ukraine would like to join the alliance after the conflict ends, Biden offered a sarcastic response of "an hour and 20 minutes."
Biden secured a major foreign policy win earlier this week when Turkey agreed to back Sweden's bid to join the alliance, a sudden reversal more than a year after the Nordic nation applied for membership.
The president strongly pushed for Sweden's entry, and lauded the agreement reached between Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson and Turkey's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on the eve of the summit. Questions have been raised about how much of a role the U.S. played in the agreement, as the administration announced Tuesday it is moving ahead with the potential sale of American F-16 fighter jets to Ankara.
Following his speech in Lithuania's capital, Biden will travel to Helsinki, Finland for a U.S.-Nordic Leaders Summit. There, he will celebrate Finland becoming the newest member of the NATO alliance.
