NATO's Hague Summit must send message on defense funding, Ukraine support – Nauseda

VILNIUS - NATO must agree on increased defense funding and send a message on support for Ukraine at its forthcoming NATO summit in The Hague, Lithuanian President Gitanas Nauseda said after a meeting of the Bucharest Nine and Nordic leaders in Vilnius on Monday.

"At The Hague Summit, we expect a message of transatlantic unity, reaffirmation of our commitment to collective defense, and readiness to defend allied territory. We also believe that allies will be ready to substantially increase defense investment," the Lithuanian leader told a press conference in Vilnius today.

"The Hague Summit must also send a clear message that NATO stands with Ukraine. We must show that NATO stands with Ukraine through continued support for its forces and its Euro-Atlantic aspirations," he added.

For his part, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said that the upcoming meeting in The Hague would be the perfect opportunity to send a clear message to Russia.

"The upcoming NATO summit can strengthen Europe's security, or if it sends the wrong signal, it will only encourage Putin," Zelensky said." The key to lasting peace is clear, the aggressor must not receive any reward for war. Putin must get nothing that would justify his aggression. Any reward would only show him that war pays off."

"If Putin is allowed to decide who joins NATO, where NATO infrastructure can or can't be, then Russia's appetite for war will only grow," the Ukrainian leader said.

NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte stressed that Lithuania continues to set an example to its allies by raising defense funding to 5-6 percent of GDP and "sends an incredibly powerful message of commitment to our collective defense".

He also reaffirmed the Alliance's support for Ukraine.

"Today, we also discussed Ukraine, a key priority for the summit in The Hague. Dear Volodymyr, we continue to support Ukraine. We know that a strong, sovereign Ukraine is essential for Euro-Atlantic security," Rutte said.

For his part, Polish President Andrzej Duda recalled that even before the last NATO summit in Washington, he had proposed to increase the Alliance's defense spending to 3 percent of GDP. Today, he welcomed the agreement by the participants of the Vilnius Summit to increase this spending even further to 5 percent of GDP.

"We hope that allies will follow into our footsteps," he said.

Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen said that strong funding must be secured to keep NATO the strongest military alliance.

"We need to invest massively in our collective security, all of us. And we need to do it fast. NATO is by far the strongest military alliance in history. And so, our starting point must be to focus on what is needed to continue to be so," she said.

On Ukraine, she said that the West's key task right now is to put Ukraine in the strongest possible situation and position on the battlefield and at the negotiating table.

For his part, Romanian leader Nicusor Danas stressed the importance of not only increasing defense spending but also ensuring supplies of necessary military equipment.

"We have to not only increase our expenses in defense, but also to be able to produce military equipment in order to protect ourselves. And also, as I said, the threat is not only classical military, but we have very important hybrid actions against our countries," he said.

In their joint statement after the Vilnius Summit, NATO's eastern and northern member countries pledged to work toward gradually raising their defense spending to at least 5 percent of gross domestic product.

With the United States pushing its allies to spend 5 percent of GDP on defense, diplomats say NATO countries will aim to agree on such a commitment at the Hague summit later in June by splitting it into two components.

The proposal includes a 3.5 percent target for "hard" defense spending and an extra 1.5 percent for defense-related needs, such as developing dual-use infrastructure.

The Hague Summit will take place on June 24-25.