NATO summit – Ukraine without invitation, but with Pact support

NATO’s anniversary summit in Washington confirmed the Alliance’s growing strength. Ukraine was not formally invited to join, but will continue to receive support.

NATO is the strongest in its history, said US President Joe Biden. And this was no mere boast at the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation’s 75th anniversary summit. Defence spending by NATO’s European members and Canada increased by an average of 18% last year. Moreover, more than two-thirds of NATO members already spend more than the accepted minimum of 2% of GDP on the military. Poland stands out with defence spending of 4.12% of GDP.

But it is not just sheer numbers that measure this strength. At the summit it was announced that the Aegis Ashore base at Redzikowo in Poland had reached full combat readiness. This means that the European land-based components of the missile defence system are finally fully operational. The declaration adopted at the summit referred to ‘the greatest strengthening of our collective defence in generations’.

The summit, held in Washington from 9 to 11 July, was dominated by three themes: strengthening the Alliance’s deterrence and defence, supporting Ukraine, and working with partners in the Indo-Pacific region. The Alliance continues to overhaul its command structures and force-generation process to implement new regional defence plans. But the most important of the decisions taken concerns support for Ukraine. Ukraine has not yet been invited to join the Alliance, but the path of Ukrainian integration into NATO has been described as “irreversible”.

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