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The President ahead of the NATO Summit: We need to take important decisions on forward defense

President of the Republic of Lithuania

July 10, 2023

On Monday, ahead of the NATO Summit in Vilnius, President Gitanas Nausėda met with NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg. The Head of State and the NATO Secretary General discussed the final details of preparations and coordination of decisions.

The President underlined that Lithuania's ambition from the very beginning was for the Vilnius Summit to be characterized not by declarations, but by decisions that are essential for the entire Alliance. According to Gitanas Nausėda, the fact that the allies are meeting in the neighborhood of an aggressor sends a strong signal of unity and resolve—we are united and will defend every inch of the Alliance.

"Thanks to the allies, Vilnius will be one of the safest places in Europe during the NATO Summit—in the air, at sea and on land. We want to feel that safe at all times, and we will work towards it because we are the front line of NATO," the President spoke.

According to Gitanas Nausėda, the security of NATO's eastern flank should be a priority for the entire Alliance, and we need to swiftly implement the decisions taken in Madrid on forward defense and to approve new defense plans in Vilnius.

Gitanas Nausėda and Jens Stoltenberg also discussed Ukraine-related issues that will be on the agenda of the NATO Summit.

"We all understand that only Ukraine's victory will bring security and stability back to Europe. We also understand that Ukraine must be fully integrated into the transatlantic security structures and become a member of NATO. The time is over for repeating promises. It is time to agree on a clear plan on how we will achieve this. The prospect of membership is extremely important for a country that has been fighting heroically against the Russian monster for almost a year and a half. Vilnius has to be the place from which good news reaches the Ukrainian people," the Lithuanian leader spoke.