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your passions, and the way you bring people together. life well planned. announcer: funding was also provided by, the freeman foundation. and by judy and peter blum kovler foundation, pursuing solutions for america's neglected needs. announcer: and now, "bbc news" s america. s president biden gears up for a high-stakes news conference at the nato summit as more democrats call on him to drop his reelection bid. president zelenskyy urges nato allies to lift restrictions on using western weapons to strike inside russia. we speak to the exile the belarus opposition leader about life under authoritarian rule

and russia's influence. ♪ hello and welcome to world news america. president joe biden is facing increasing scrutiny over his fitness for reelection as he hosts nato leaders here in washington. he will hold a solo news conference at the nato summit this evening amid pressure from more than one dozen members of his own party to withdraw from the race. on thursday, several house representatives joined a small but growing chorus of democrats who have publicly urged biden to drop out. the latest appeals come from an arizona congressman, a hawaii congressman, and illinois congressman, and a michigan congresswoman. in a statement, one of them said that the sake of american democracy means it is time for the president to step aside as

the nominee. another representative said this is not about the past. it is about the future. it's time to pass the torch. allies of the president, including a delaware senator, continue to rally public the around mr. biden. in an interview with the bbc on thursday, the u.k. prime minister described president biden as being in really good form after the men held their first face-to-face talks on wednesday. the prime minister was talking to our political editor. >> you know what an increasing number of people are saying, they are implying that president biden is senile. izzy -- is he? >> no, we had a really good bilateral yesterday. we spoke for the best part of an hour. we went to a huge number of issues. he was in really good form. absolutely across all of the details.

we were going to go through a number of issues, which were really important to me. it was my first opportunity to have a bilateral with him. there was one thing that came out of the council session yesterday. it was a clear understanding by everybody here that we face more threats than we have faced in many years. and we need the resolve of nato. that defensive alliance. president biden has led it through some of the most challenging issues. anchor: joining us now is a political reporter. thank you for joining us. joe biden taking part in this press conference at the end of the nato summit described by the white house as a big boy press conference. how high are the stakes? >> they are very high. many congressional democrats have taken a position on his ability to win the election.

some of them have said that they are waiting to see how this goes. and they are waiting to look at the nato summit. that he will not be undermined on the world stage. anchor: that is already happening to some extent, isn't it? it is only a couple of weeks since the debate but it seems longer. the drip drip of his democratic colleagues questioning his fitness seems to be opening up a bit. is there a sense that the floodgates cannot be held back? >> i like that talk. there was thinking in washington before this week when people might come back from the holiday recess that they might turn in mass on him. that did not happen. what happened in the last 24 hours is that nancy pelosi, who has a very unique role in the party, very much in charge of thinking in the house, when she did not say that he should

definitely be the nominee that he had work to do, that shook democratic confidence. especially the ones who are making a statement to increase their confidence. anchor: joe biden has already somewhat addressed these calls. he sensed that letter to the congressional delegation saying he heard the calls but that he was going nowhere. he was very much the nominee. but with all of these fresh requests that have come since that letter for him to stand aside, does he need to say something again? is there a suggestion that he is reconsidering his position? >> he is imprisoned by his recent past. there are things he can say but the stories that are most damaging and talking about democrats in congress and strategists and donors and even in the case of george clooney, actors who raise money for him, what has been damaging is anecdotal evidence of not seeming to be in command of his position at recent events.

there are things he can say now and things he can perform now. what has really been harmful is stories where he shows up to an event and leaves the good early or the seems that he is reading from notes for something he should know about. there are as -- his story after story that was not a problem for biden before this because democrats had unanimity that he should be the nominee. the white house has scheduled meetings. he had one with senators today. they are giving him the latest briefings on the race. he is currently losing but has a path to the necessary electoral votes. the problem is not solved is how people reinterpreting these events. thanks that were not a problem for them six months ago are now a problem. they are worried that he might not be able to perform at a level that beats donald trump. anchor: many of the polls showed him losing before the debate

happened. so there is not been a huge shift. if he does decide that he is staying put and sticks to his initial decision, how does he stop this flood of calls for change? >> that was his intention on monday with the letter to democratic members of the house. one argument is that we had a primary. that defined the will of the voters and the delegates to the convention. if he were to step aside. that is his position. there is not a mechanism in the party to get rid of him. if he is the candidate with the most delegates, and he is alive and sound and wants to accept the nomination, there is not a way to dump him. there is not a vote of confidence. those mechanisms do not exist in the party. just by staying put, and there are politicians who have been in this position. you go back to ronald reagan

during a ran counter -- iran --contra. there were people in congress who wanted him to go but he did not. but he was out running for reelection. the party might be forced to retreat to its previous position and say we are not happy with this but we're going to try to elect him and make a kind of second-order argument. he is not sharp as he could be but maybe the vice president could take over. anchor: we will wait to see what happens. thank you for joining us. >> thank you. anchor: the third day of the nato summit saw members pledge more support for ukraine, including a million-dollar pledge that joe biden announced in a meeting with bilotta ms. zelenskyy. he told his counterpart that the u.s. would be there for ukraine every step of the way. this echoed key european nations

like france, germany, italy, and poland saying they will send new missiles to ukraine. bulgaria and greece signed a deal for the quick transfer of troops and weapons across their borders. president zelenskyy urged western nations to go farther. >> if we want to save our country and defend it, we need to list all of the limitations. anchor: let's speak to our reporter who is at the nato summit. a lot of pledges for ukraine. everything that president zelenskyy was looking for. wrap up for us how the summit has grown. reporter: president zelenskyy today finding himself in that position that he has been in many times before. on one hand, having to balance the gratitude for everything

ukraine has been receiving at this summit but also making the case that it does not go far enough. he is going back to kyiv where there are promises of jets and drones announced today. patriot missiles and batteries and continued financial assistance. what he's calling for is the lifting of all restriction so that ukraine is able to target military targets within russia. which president zelenskyy says will enable him to turn the tide of russian aggression. something that i think the allies are split on here. the u.s. and germany having a more conservative approach to some baltic states that have been speaking about it. but we are learning today is that washington for the first time. -- put in u.s. long-range missiles. the first time since the cold war. an indication of the precarious situation that nato allies

continue to find themselves in. the kremlin has responded saying that is seen as a military response. and a strong rebuff today from beijing as well, hitting back to comments made by nato secretary who for the first time at this summit has said that china is the main enabler of russian aggression. anchor: thank you for that. for more on the u.s. and allied support for ukraine, i have been speaking to the spokesperson for the u.s. department of defense of the pentagon. the u.s. has announced another military aid package for ukraine coming alongside all of the announcements from nato we have seen this week. what is your assessment of ukraine's ability to win this war against an emboldened russia, striving as it did a children's hospital in kyiv this week. >> thank you very much for having me on this very important week here in washington.

as you highlighted, president biden announced an additional package of security assistance for ukraine. as we have since russia's illegal invasion more than two years ago, we continue to work very closely with our allies and partners to ensure that ukraine has what it needs to sit -- defended sovereign territory and take pack its -- back its occupied territory from russian aggressors. we will stay very focused on that. in terms of ukraine and their ability to defend themselves, we have seen them hold the line. we continue to see incremental russian gains but importantly ukraine continues to hold the line. we will continue to work with them to ensure that they have what they need to defend themselves. >> one thing that president zelenskyy says he needs is the ability to use military donations in whatever way he sees fit to be allowed to strike russian targets within russia. many countries do not attach

restrictions to their donations but the u.s. does. are there serious discussions on their way about possibly lifting those restrictions? >> we continue to have frequent conversations with our ukrainian partners to make sure we understand their needs. we have continued to work closely to evolve our aid to adapt to the situation on the battlefield. to adapt to ukraine's most urgent needs. when it comes to the security assistance that we are providing, we have a very clear about the guidelines. we have used that assistance to create calpers strikes across the russian border. that just makes sense. the policy has not changed as it relates to long-range fire. part of that calculus is taking

into account the second or third order of facts. we very much care deeply about ukraine being able to defend its sovereignty and its people so we will continue to do what we need to do to help them do that. >> given how long the war has gone already, is that approach to causes? -- too cautious? >> if you go back to the very beginning of this conflict, when everybody thought that you great would -- ukraine would very quickly be overrun, they proved everyone wrong and over time they were able to take back a significant about of territory. russia has poured hundreds of thousands of forces, used hundreds of thousands of missiles, and they continue to pour tons of resources into conducting their illegal and unprovoked invasion. we are going to help ukraine by

providing them with the security assistance they need to defend themselves. as far as when this conflict will end, it could end tomorrow if president putin decided to pull all of his forces out. but it does look like i will happen so we will continue to support ukraine so they can fight and defend their country. anchor: just asking briefly about another issue relating to israel and gaza. you have taken the decision to dismantle the pier that had been erected to get aid into parts of gaza. it could not be reached over land. is that a disappointment to you that that has had to happen just a couple of months or so after it was erected in his or anything to replace it? >> to clarify, we attempted to re-anchor the pier yesterday. due to weather and technical issues, we were not able to do that. we do not have a date right now to re-anchor. as part is the mission goes, you think about the sheer volume of

a that is temporary. has been -- pier has been able to get into gaza for delivery. upward to 20 million pounds into gaza. that aid is life-saving. we are very glad we have been able to help in that regard. as far as what the future portends, we will keep everybody updated. we will continue working with the international community to ensure that lifesaving aid can get into gaza. as for the temporary pier, it has played an important role in getting aid into gaza and we are very proud of that. anchor: russia and china each criticize the outcome of the nato summit. the kremlin on thursday said nato's pledges of additional military assistance to ukraine posed a serious threat to russian national security. the press secretary for putin said moscow will have to take extraordinary measures to keep nato in check. china: nato to stop hyping up

the so-called china threat and provoking confrontation and rivalry. that was in response to nato's accusing china this week of being a decisive enabler of russia's war in ukraine. chinese troops are holding military drills with belarus. the leader of belarus helped russia invade ukraine in 2022. those who have criticized his authoritarian rule have been jailed. one of those is a political activist. he plans to challenge in the presidential election but was detained before the vote. his wife, a fellow opposition leader, also ran for president and has since gone into exile with their children for their safety. i spoke with her a short time ago. this week marks 30 years of the rule of alexander lukashenko in belarus. you might tell us what life is like for people there at this

time. your boarded by the eu on one side and russia on the other. >> i would call belarus now a huge prison. with people taken hostage by the regime. it is likely stalin era. people are detained and put in prisons if they are opposing the regime or supporting ukrainians in this war or if they are speaking our native language. we still have kgb able to detain people. when he lost the election, those people were fighting against this regime. on the ground. some people fled belarus. so we can live more openly and be a voice for the voiceless. we are trying to keep belarus high on the national agenda. it is so important for the world

to understand the strategic importance of belarus for regional security. anchor: one space is there if any and belarus for opposition or dissent or protest? >> all the political parties are ruined. the leaders are in prison or in exile. we managed to restore some of them from exile. but nevertheless, the media is declared as extremists. if people inside the country are watching this media openly, they can be this glared -- dictate as extremists. we managed to restore our civil society in exile. but in belarus, he did everything he could to make sure that people will not be vocal inside the country.

every day, people are detained. anchor: there are around 1500 or so political prisoners in belarus at the moment, including your husband. what do you that his current circumstances? >> we had to learn a new word regarding our political prisoners. it means that a person is kept in full isolation. since march of 2023, i have not heard a word about my husband. i do not know if he is alive. lawyers are not allowed to visit him. letters are not delivered from our family. my children are asking, what has happened to daddy? the regime wants to break us. the world has forgotten about you. nobody is visiting you. nobody is writing letters. they want to believe that. my husband and other prisoners know that we have not given up.

the world is standing with us. they are trying to weaken the regime and strengthen us. anchor: when your children ask you where is daddy, what do you say to them? >> they know that he is in jail. they know their daddy is a hero who sacrificed his freedom for their better future. we live in exile. there are ukrainians around. everything is mixed in the heads of our children. our daughter once came in and asked me for money. she says she will buy a tank and release her daddy. it is like the war tortures them. it is a mess in their heads. anchor: you mentioned ukraine. belarus has been enabling russia's war in ukraine. what are you saying to the leaders that you have been meeting with at the nato summit in washington this week? what are you looking for them to

do? i insists that the world has to distinguish from the regime that drag us into this war and became war criminals and the people who are supporting ukrainians. only 4% of people in belarus are in favor of the idea that troops might join russian troops. you have to also distinguish between russia and belarus. we have absolutely different contexts. we do not have these imperial ambitions. what is important for us is we should get belarus out of this war. without belarus as a place to launch missiles, putin will be much weakened. help us get rid of this dictatorship. only with independent democratic

and free belarus can we rely on partners. there should be a twpofold approach. weakening the regime and strengthening the people. we have to become stronger. we are not waiting for somebody to come and save us. it is our duty. noe one war and no one fight cn be won if you are alone. we need the democratic world to help us with our fight and of course the ukrainians need support to defeat this brutal beast. anchor: this week, belarus and china have been carrying out military drills close to the border from poland. we heard from nato a warning to china to leave its alliance with russia in supporting the war in ukraine. what does all of that mean for belarus? >> i think in this circumstance,

when he is very fragile and weak , he wants to show that it is important for him to be a player in this political game. not only is putin supporting me but china is as well so be afraid of me. i have powerful friends. this took place even before but nobody paid attention. now in these times of turbulence we see how the regime is trying to blackmail our western neighbors. with nuclear weapons. now chinese and belarus drills. this is for his eyes, nothing else. anchor: hollywood actress shelly devol, best known for her film rose in the late 19 of these -- 1970s and 1980s, has died.

she is best known for her starring role in the horror adaptation of the shining in 1980. her partner said she passed away peacefully at her home in texas. you can find out all about today's news at our website. thank you for watching. do announcer: funding for presentation of this program is provided by... financial services firm, raymond james. announcer: funding was also provided by, the freeman foundation. and by judy and peter blum kovler foundation, pursuing solutions for america's neglected needs. ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ announcer: "usa today" calls it, "arguably the best bargain in streaming." that's because the free pbs app lets you watch the best of pbs anytime, anywhere.

geoff: good evening. i'm geoff bennett. amna: and i'm amna nawaz. on the “newshour” tonight, president biden holds a critical press conference amid calls that he should step away from the campaign. geoff: and in an exclusive interview during this week's nato summit, germany's chancellor says he's not seen anything to make him doubt president biden's ability to lead.