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At this stage, the Alliance has not confirmed the participation of any partner country in the NATO summit in The Hague, except for 32 member states. This was stated by NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte during a press conference in Antalya following an informal meeting of foreign ministers of member states, Ukrinform reports.
“There are no announcements about the invitees at the moment, except, of course, for the 32 countries. As soon as we are ready, we will announce it,” Rutte said in response to a question from a Japanese journalist.
The main topics of preparation for the summit:
Support for Ukraine. According to the NATO Secretary General, assistance to Kyiv remains a priority. It is not about “fuelling the war”, but about guaranteeing Ukraine’s security for the future.
Increase defence spending. Rutte stressed that 2% of GDP is no longer enough for new challenges, so the allies should move to significantly increase defence spending.
Developing the defence industry. NATO should remove barriers to cooperation, accelerate innovation, and invest not only in weapons but also in infrastructure and resilience.
“This will help to achieve a fairer burden sharing and strengthen the defence capabilities of all Allies,” said Mark Rutte.
The summit in The Hague in six weeks’ time is expected to be key to revising NATO’s long-term defence goals.
