President Biden's Absence at NATO Dinner Raises Concerns Over Health; White House Cites Heavy Workload

In a surprising move, US President Joe Biden chose to skip the NATO dinner on Tuesday, where world leaders gathered for the summit's commencement. The White House explained that the president, who has been consistently working for the past four days, needed time to prepare for an upcoming speech. This marks the third occasion where President Biden has opted out of attending a dinner with international leaders while on foreign trips, as reported by Fox News.

Despite inquiries, the White House remained silent when questioned about President Biden's absence at the NATO dinner, as mentioned in the report. Prior to the summit, the US president was spotted on a beach near his Delaware residence, following two weekends spent with his son Hunter Biden at Camp David, according to the same report.

Later, the White House clarified that President Biden's decision to skip the NATO dinner was due to an overwhelming workload with four consecutive days of crucial tasks lying ahead, rather than behind. This clarification came after concerns were raised about his beach visit and the subsequent inquiries made regarding it.

Notably, the NATO summit in Vilnius, Lithuania, includes the presence of Ukraine. President Volodymyr Zelensky of Ukraine expressed his disappointment over the alliance's ongoing hesitance to extend an invitation for his country's membership. In a tweet, he remarked, "It's unprecedented and absurd when a time frame is set neither for the invitation nor for Ukraine's membership. While at the same time, vague wording about 'conditions' is added even for inviting Ukraine. It seems there is no readiness to invite Ukraine to NATO or to make it a member of the Alliance."

Regarding Ukraine's potential membership, President Biden stated in an interview with CNN that he does not currently support the country joining the alliance due to various eligibility concerns, including the need for democratization. He emphasized the necessity of a rational path for Ukraine to meet the qualifications required to enter NATO.