By Janet Ekstract
ISTANBUL-The 2023 NATO Summit that met in Vilnius, Lithuania on July 11-12 is the most is the most significant NATO summit to date as most analysts agree. It’s the first time that all member nations in the Alliance have agreed to spend a minimum of 2% of their GDP on defense within Europe- the result of Russia’s attack on Ukraine. NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg has made it clear that Russia’s attack on Ukraine is an attack on all democracies everywhere and that the focus must be on deterrence and defense within European borders. It was Ukraine that was the highlight of the summit with Ukraine’s President Zelensky speaking about three top priorities for Ukraine. As Zelensky explained: the first priority is “new weapons packages to support our army on the battlefield,” the second, “an invitation to NATO, we want to be on the same page with everybody,” and the third are “security guarantees on the way to NATO.” Though Zalensky along with EU countries such as Poland, would like to see Ukraine’s NATO b’d hurried along, Stoltenberg and the NATO alliance stopped short of issuing a definite timeline visibly angered Zelensky.
One of the most significant and crucial results to come out of the summit is the G7 nations signatory to a framework of understanding that provides Ukraine with definite security assurances and is seen as a step closer for Ukraine’s future role in the NATO alliance. The framework gives Ukraine everything it needs to defend itself against any future attacks from Russia. In addition, Zelensky and German Chancellor Olaf Scholz agreed on Germany providing additional weaponry to Ukraine in a guarantee from the German leader. Meanwhile, Stoltenberg said the focus for the EU must be on making sure nations spend a minimum of 2% of GDP on defense with an eye toward increasing that amount in the future. A major step on the defense side that Stoltenberg has reiterated in previous press conferences, is his desire to see 300,000 troops in “high readiness” as a deterrent to Russian aggression. But for that to happen, Lithuania will need to build an infrastructure to support such a monumental undertaking and though NATO officials have acknowledged they want to see this happen sooner than later – first the funding is crucial.
At the summit, Stoltenberg told U.S. President Joe Biden that all of this “sends a clear message to Ukraine that we stand by them as long as needed and also that we agree on a united and positive message – a message on the path forward for Ukraine and membership for Ukraine.” As the G7 statement concluded: “We will stand by Ukraine as it defends itself against Russian aggression, for as long as it takes. We stand united in our enduring support for Ukraine, rooted in our shared democratic values and interests, above all, respect for the UN Charter and the principles of territorial integrity and sovereignty.”
