News

On 11 May, in Stockholm, the Ministers of Foreign Affairs of Lithuania, Finland and Sweden, together with NATO Deputy Assistant Secretary General for Defence Policy and Planning, GenMaj Jörg See participated in the discussion’ Road to Vilnius: Pre-NATO Summit’ that focused on the objectives and possible outcomes of the NATO Summit in Vilnius.

“Russia has been a threat for many years before launching the war against Ukraine and poses a threat even now, a year after the beginning of the aggression. Let us not succumb to the illusion of Russia’s seemingly weakening power – the aggressor’s military reform plans testify to something else,” Landsbergis said, referring to the security environment in Europe and the need to strengthen the defence on the eastern flank.

During the discussion, the head of Lithuania’s diplomacy also noted that a unanimous response would be needed in Vilnius, as we witnessed Ukraine’s movement towards NATO membership: “The debate on Ukraine’s membership of NATO must finally take a concrete form: it can be both a new algorithm for cooperation between Ukraine and NATO and new guidelines for Ukraine, but most importantly, a clear signal that Ukraine’s movement towards NATO membership is inevitable.”

Swedish Foreign Minister Tobias Billström and Finnish Foreign Minister Pekka Haavisto discussed the role of these countries in the alliance and their future contribution to the security on the eastern flank, from patrolling in the Baltic Sea to participation in air policing missions in the Baltic states.

The discussion’ Road to Vilnius: Pre-NATO Summit’ was organised by the U.S. nonpartisan organisation Atlantic Council and the Lithuanian, German and Portuguese embassies in Sweden.

The recorded event can be viewed here.