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The President: NATO Summit in The Hague requires concrete actions, not just words

President of the Republic of Lithuania

December 18, 2024

President Gitanas Nausėda, during the meeting with NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte in Brussels, emphasized that Lithuania expects concrete decisions at the 2025 NATO Summit in The Hague, which should aim to strengthen NATO, enhance support for Ukraine, and deter Russia.

"Over the past three years, NATO has made significant progress in supporting Ukraine and strengthening the Alliance's defense and deterrence capabilities. However, much more needs to be done to ensure a safe and secure Europe. That is why we look forward to concrete actions and commitments at the NATO Summit in The Hague, as discussed today with the Secretary General of the Alliance," the President said.

The Head of State highlighted that one of the most crucial decisions would be a commitment by NATO member states to allocate at least 3% of their gross domestic product to defense. The President noted that Lithuania's current national defense budget, already at 3.2% of GDP, is set to increase to 3.5% next year and could reach 5% of GDP in the future, with the goal of establishing the Lithuanian military division by 2030.

"As a NATO frontline state, we know what Russia is like and how to stop it. But this requires the involvement of all allies," President Gitanas Nausėda stressed.

The second important step Lithuania expects from The Hague Summit is a long-term NATO strategy on Russia. The Lithuanian Head of State stressed that the Kremlin regime is preparing for a long-term confrontation with the Western world and that Russia will remain the primary threat to the Alliance.

"The NATO-Russia Founding Act must be abandoned. Instead, we need to develop an effective strategy to contain Russia," the President stated during his meeting with NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte.

Increasing aid to Ukraine is the third major issue that Lithuania expects to be addressed at the NATO Summit in The Hague.

"We must increase military assistance to a country fighting against Russian aggression. This requires funding. At the Washington Summit we reached an agreement on a €40 billion aid commitment. But today this is insufficient to make a difference on the front line. We believe that each NATO member state should commit at least 0.25% of its GDP annually to this effort. Lithuania has done this every year since the beginning of the war in Ukraine," the President pointed out.

During his meeting with Mark Rutte, Gitanas Nausėda also discussed NATO-EU cooperation and countering hybrid threats. The President stressed that Lithuania supports Poland's initiative to use NATO's allied fleet to protect critical infrastructure on the Baltic seabed.

The President's Communication Group