Lithuanian Foreign Minister Kęstutis Budris has publicly warned that Ukraine will not receive an invitation to join NATO at the summit to be held next week in The Hague.
Points of attention
- The issue of defense spending will be a key topic at the summit, with pressure from the US to increase spending among allied countries.
- The call for a joint commitment to enhance defense capabilities highlights the need for a united front in NATO's security space.
NATO is in no hurry to extend an invitation to Ukraine
According to the Lithuanian Foreign Minister, the issue of inviting Ukraine to join NATO "is not on the agenda."
No one has expressed any expectations that an invitation will be made in The Hague, not even the Ukrainians themselves. There are no expectations that any breakthrough decisions will be made, either before the Washington summit or now, before the Hague summit; it is not on the agenda.
Kęstutis Budris
Minister of Foreign Affairs of Lithuania
He also emphasized that it is extremely important to focus on helping Ukraine now and to emphasize that NATO countries and Kyiv are in the same security space.
According to Budris, he and the Lithuanian authorities will call for a stronger US role in collective deterrence and defense.
An important issue in The Hague will also be the decision on a joint commitment by Allied countries to increase defense spending, as US President Donald Trump is pressuring allies to increase defense spending to 5% of GDP.
