NATO Summit in The Hague Should Guarantee Support for the Armed Forces of Ukraine – Lithuanian Foreign Ministry
Budrys Kestutis (Photo: @BudrysKestutis)

The NATO summit, which will take place in late June in The Hague, should guarantee support for the Armed Forces of Ukraine, Lithuanian Foreign Minister Kęstutis Budrys said at a briefing in Antalya, where he arrived for a meeting of NATO foreign ministers on May 15.

According to him, first of all, it is about approving the 40 billion euros in aid that the Alliance countries announced last summer.

"In The Hague, we must agree on 40 billion euros in military aid to Ukraine. A strong and well-equipped Ukrainian Armed Forces are the best deterrent for Russia. We must support them, because this is an investment in the security of all of Europe," the minister said.

Budris also expects the summit to confirm previous agreements on Ukraine's future accession to the Alliance.

"Ukraine's membership in NATO is the best security option not only for Ukraine, but also for Europe," the minister said.

In his opinion, President Volodymyr Zelensky should be invited to the NATO summit in The Hague so that he can personally hear "the alliance's firm commitment to support Ukraine."

  • The summit in The Hague will take place on June 24-25. It was expected that the issue of inviting the Ukrainian leader to the NATO summit could be discussed by foreign ministers during an informal meeting in Antalya.
  • It was also reported that the United States allegedly does not support the idea of sending President Zelensky an invitation to the NATO summit.
  • Dutch Foreign Minister Kaspar Veldkamp said that the decision on Zelensky's possible participation in the NATO summit in The Hague should be made by the Alliance's Secretary General, Mark Rutte.