Rutte opens NATO summit, announces "historic and transformational" decisions

 Interfax-Ukraine reported the information.

The meeting began on Wednesday with a one-hour delay. Rutte has mentioned that at today’s meeting, the leaders will adopt historic and transformational decisions for the Alliance.

Rutte began his opening remarks by saying that they were meeting at a dangerous moment for one billion of their citizens. He noted that Russia’s war against Ukraine was ongoing, that some opposition groups were trying to divide and challenge them, that a war was taking place in the Middle East, and that terrorism remained a constant threat. He added that new technologies were bringing not only opportunities but also serious challenges to security. Despite these threats, he emphasized that they stood united in NATO, which he described as the most powerful defense alliance in world history.

He stated that history had shown the cooperation between North America and Europe to be a winning combination.

The Secretary General went on to say that their adversaries were aware of this unity and that NATO’s unwavering commitment to Article 5 — declaring that an attack on one is an attack on all — sent a strong signal. He added that during the meeting, they would adopt historic and transformational decisions aimed at making their people safer by creating a stronger, fairer, and more capable NATO. To achieve this, he explained that there was a specific plan for all allies to spend 5% of GDP on defense, with those funds allocated to core defense needs as well as investments related to defense and security.

According to him, the decision would also make NATO fairer by ensuring that all members contributed their fair share to collective security. He noted that, for too long, the United States had shouldered too much of this burden, but said that this situation was now changing. Addressing the American president directly, Rutte credited him with making this shift possible.

The Secretary General also recalled that the upcoming decisions at the summit would include continued support for Ukraine and a shared commitment to achieving a just and lasting peace. He emphasized that everyone wanted to see an end to the bloodshed and called on Russia to cease its aggression against Ukraine.

• The NATO summit in The Hague started on Tuesday, June 24: the event gathered leaders from 32 member countries of the Alliance, as well as partners. President Volodymyr Zelenskyy held meetings with the NATO Secretary General, the Dutch Prime Minister, U.S. Congress Senators, and the French leader.