Biden Shepherded Europe on Ukraine and NATO. What Happens Now?

European leaders have been relying on President Biden to guide them through some of the continent’s darkest days in decades.

When Russia invaded Ukraine in February 2022, they found in him a shepherd of sorts, who worked with them to unite behind Kyiv and shaped the response to Russia’s aggression.

Mr. Biden urged his European counterparts to impose sanctions on Russia quickly, and his administration lent expertise on how to do so in lock step with the United States.

He pushed European allies to get it together when it came to defense and to commit to spend more on NATO.

And he encouraged them to subscribe to his narrative of being part of a fearless, principled band of countries standing up for democracy against ever-growing threats.

For those European leaders who consider Russia to be an aggressor that aims to swallow Ukraine and poses a real challenge to their continent’s security — and that is most of them — Mr. Biden was the person to listen to and emulate.