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Today’s top stories
President Biden is in London this morning to meet with British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak and King Charles III before heading to Lithuania’s capital for the 74th NATO summit.
This will be President Biden’s first meeting with King Charles since his coronation. The two men have met before, including at the UN climate summit in Glasgow, Scotland, on Nov. 2, 2021.
Jane Barlow/AP
- NPR’s Asma Khalid says Ukraine will be the top priority at NATO. On Up First this morning, she says the question of the country’s membership will be a big test for Biden, who recently told CNN that Ukraine isn’t ready for membership. While Biden says it would be premature to call for a vote now, he’s said the White House will lay out a path for membership — which he said would require some democratic reforms — and provide security guarantees if there’s a cease-fire in the war with Russia.
Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskyy recently wrapped up his own tour of Europe, where he rallied support for Ukraine’s NATO membership. His visit to Turkey led to the unexpected return of five former commanders that were key figures in last year’s battle at the Azovstal steel plant in Mariupol. Russia captured the commanders earlier in the war.
- Many Ukrainians feel they’ve been in limbo since the possibility of NATO membership was broached in 2008, according to NPR’s Greg Myre. He adds that they believe being in this “fuzzy middle ground” encouraged Russia to invade. Myre says Russia is very upset over the return of the commanders and…
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