President Biden was absent from Tuesday's NATO dinner, with the White House explaining that he needed to prepare for an upcoming speech after four full workdays.
This marks the third time that the president has skipped a dinner with world leaders during his international trip. Fox News Digital reached out to the White House for comment on Biden's absence and questioned why he was at the beach on Saturday if he had been busy with official business. The White House has not yet responded to these inquiries.
On Saturday, July 8, Biden, 80, was seen at the beach near his Delaware home before the NATO summit. Prior to that, he had spent the last two weekends at Camp David with his son, Hunter Biden. The White House pool reporter later clarified that the president skipped the NATO dinner because he had four full days of work ahead of him, not behind him, and would be delivering a speech.
While Ukraine will be present at the NATO summit in Vilnius, Lithuania, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy expressed his disappointment that the alliance continues to prevent his country from joining.
In a CNN interview that aired on Sunday, Biden made it clear that he does not support Ukraine's membership in the alliance while it is engaged in a war with Russia. He cited issues with Ukraine's eligibility, such as a lack of democratization, but mentioned that there should be a "rational path" for Ukraine to qualify for NATO without providing specifics.
Zelenskyy emphasized that the international alliance is about respect and argued that Ukraine deserves respect as it seeks membership. He also warned that by not taking steps to include Ukraine, it leaves room for bargaining its membership in negotiations with Russia, providing the latter with motivation to continue its aggressive actions.
Biden's overseas trip comes shortly after cocaine was discovered at the White House on July 2. The investigation into this incident is ongoing.
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