I thought if I got to the university just before four I would have no problem seeing the "Remarks by President Joe Biden" but the line stretched along three streets and I was seriously doubting I would get in. However, the young woman beside me said the Grand Courtyard of Vilnius University was pretty big so she held out hope. Three hours later we were screened through security and allowed into the inner courtyard. It was still another half hour before the secret service let us through the portal into the Grand Courtyard, at which point the serpentine line collapsed and people rushed the gate. Fortunately, no one was hurt but it was pretty amazing that Biden would draw such a massive crowd on a weekday. This is something you would expect for a rock concert.
There were a few Biden and Obama t-shirts but more people wore shirts supporting Ukraine. Flags draped over shoulders as well. You weren't allowed to bring in any placards that would make it difficult for people to see behind you as we were packed like sardines into the courtyard. The crowd was quite mixed. I heard all sorts of languages swirling around me.
I managed to find a vantage point where I could see both the distant podium and the big screen, using my cellphone to capture a short video of Biden when he finally appeared at 8 pm. A huge roar filled the courtyard along with the waving of tiny American, Lithuanian and Ukrainian flags which the US Embassy staff handed out at the entrance. They also graciously provided water and lemonade.
It's not often we get the President of the United States in town. I heard a Lithuanian father telling his teenage son there's the POTUS. There was so much anticipation and for the first half of his speech, Biden delivered, but it had been a long day for him and he trailed off in the second half as he urged for greater sharing of responsibilities on climate change and reducing income disparity. Not sure why his speechwriters chose to work this in. I guess they thought they were appealing to a young crowd. Mostly what people wanted to hear is that the US would have Lithuania's back and more strenuously support Ukraine. Still it was a good speech and he won over the crowd.
After the speech, Biden was off to Helsinki to welcome Finland into NATO. I can well imagine how tired he was, as I was totally exhausted when I finally got back to the house around 10, my legs and feet barely holding me up after 6 hours of walking and standing. Was it worth it, Daina asked? I suppose it was as I can say I was there and posted a few pictures and video clips on facebook. I got a mix of responses from those who voiced their surprise and pleasure to those who used the opportunity to diminish "Bumbling Joe." It wasn't worth getting into an argument so I just hit the laughing emoji.
I really don't understand why so many people think Joe is out of touch. Vytautas Landsbergis, former President and Prime Minister of Lithuania, summed it up well, "Opponents like to write that [Biden] is tired, but his spirit, voice, and thoughts are clear." Biden may struggle for approval in the United States but in Europe he is very popular, especially in Eastern Europe. Yet, my conservative friends back home seem to think he is "the laughing stock of the world." No, that was Donald Trump.
My facebook friends are now half and half Lithuanian and American, so I generally abstain from politics. It was more about the event in this case. The last time a US President had been to Vilnius was in 2002 when George Bush came to reassure Lithuanians that their NATO ascension was a done deal although it would still be a year-and-a-half before their membership was approved. Lithuanians know what Ukraine is going through right now, hoping that their NATO membership is a done deal as well.
Biden is presiding over the expansion of NATO which now includes Finland and Sweden. It took some behind-the-scenes maneuvering to get Turkish President Erdogan to drop his objections. Political pundits suspect the US offered greater air power to the country and that the EU would reconsider Turkey's bid, which was stalled when Erdogan took a more autocratic approach to government. Still, the US and its prominent Western allies stopped short of extending a bid to Ukraine. Some say, they wanted to hold off until the next NATO summit in Washington, DC, next year which fits in nicely with the election cycle.
Zelenskyy obviously got some assurances on the last day of the summit as he was much more contrite. British Defence Secretary Ben Wallace voiced his resentment over Zelenskyy's comments the day before and apparently Biden was upset as well. "Absurd" wasn't the best word but as Daina pointed out, English is not Zelenskyy's first language so his thoughts probably didn't translate very well. Whatever the case there was no bad blood Thursday morning. Rishi Sunak went out of his way to ease tensions by telling Zelenskyy "you belong in NATO." As for Ben Wallace, it is a good thing he wasn't made Secretary General.
What most people don't fully appreciate is the incredible suffering and pain Ukraine is going through. Yes, they are desperate. They want this war to end so that they don't see their city's firebombed each evening. Russia shelled Ukrainian cities throughout the summit. Moscow continues to show no mercy for civilians, adding to its very long list of war crimes. Daina gets very upset when she hears Western European leaders diminish the suffering, as she remembers what it was like when the Soviet Union broke apart the freedom rallies in Vilnius in January 1991 with tanks and other heavy armored vehicles.
Biden mentioned this in his speech, which was largely tailored to a Lithuanian audience. He also noted the 14 Lithuanians who died and the countless other casualties suffered during those bitter cold evenings. He called that moment "transformative" and said Lithuanians know more than anyone what it means to be free. What I also liked about the speech is that he mentioned Belarus, Moldova and Georgia, "where people continue to fight to make their voices heard," and ended this passage with "keep reminding the world of hope that Lithuania embodies." A thunderous ovation followed.
This has been a watershed event for Vilnius. Over a thousand journalists from all over the world descended on the city, sending back images of the city during this historic summit. Our President Nausėda seems a new man. Gone is the stiff, bureaucratic appearance that has plagued his administration. He never sounded so good in introducing Presidents Zelenskyy and Biden nor recapping the events the next day on LRT news. It seems he has finally come out of his shell. It helps when both presidents publicly praised him for a very successful summit.
It's back to normal again. No more helicopters buzzing around and the Old Town is once again open to vehicular traffic. For a brief moment, Vilnius was the center of the world.
Comments
Post a Comment