Today on Midday, a look at foreign affairs. President Joe Biden has been applauded for a successful NATO Summit in Lithuania last week. He secured additional military aid for Ukraine, and negotiated the thorny issue of when Ukraine will be admitted as a member of the Alliance.
Sweden took a huge step in the process of becoming a NATO member after Turkey dropped its opposition. Sweden’s inclusion in the alliance means that Russia has become ever more isolated on the geopolitical landscape. We also discuss the latest with Israel as their President Isaac Herzog addresses Congress.
We begin today with Eleanor Beardsley, who has covered Europe for NPR for nearly 20 years. She shares her reflections of the NATO Summit and the significance of its location in Lithuania.
While at the summit Beardsley spoke with NATO volunteer, Rima Olberkyte, who grew up in Lithuania when it was under Soviet rule. Olberkyte directly related to the Ukrainian struggle and expressed the importance of keeping Lithuania prosperous.
We also hear from Ishaan Tharoor, the foreign Affairs columnist at the Washington Post. He’s also the anchor of Today's WorldView, the Post's daily column and newsletter on global politics.
Our last contributor is Eric Hontz, the Director of the Center for Accountable Investment at the Center for International Private Enterprise. He traveled to Kyiv, Ukraine last month and attended a conference in London focused on rebuilding Ukraine.
