TEXT & CONTEXT: WHAT ARE THE TAKEAWAYS FROM THE NATO SUMMIT?
The latest NATO summit was held in Vilnius, the capital of Lithuania. A standout of the summit was the presence of the Ukrainian President and the anticipation around the possibility of extending NATO membership to Ukraine.
TEXT & CONTEXT: WHAT ARE THE TAKEAWAYS FROM THE NATO SUMMIT?
The latest NATO summit was held in Vilnius, the capital of Lithuania. A standout of the summit was the presence of the Ukrainian President and the anticipation around the possibility of extending NATO membership to Ukraine.
The NATO-Ukraine Council as a forum for crisis consultations and decision-making was launched as a mechanism for wider engagement, support and inclusion. However, for Ukraine the summit did not find much, as all three of its priorities (new weapons packages, security guarantees and NATO membership) were unfulfilled.
The inclusion of Finland and approval of Sweden as NATO members indicates a few things. First, it signals that the alliance continues to practice the Article 10 of the Washington Treaty, 1949 which states that member countries can invite other European countries to become NATO members. Second, Turkey's scaling back of its long-standing opposition to Sweden's bid is a significant shift.
The Vilnius summit also stated challenges and threats emerging from China's ambitions and coercive policies. It stated that NATO faces threats from China's malicious hybrid cyber operations and confrontational rhetoric. The summit emphasized that the developments in the Indo-Pacific have become increasingly consequential for Euro-Atlantic security with expanding space for Quad countries.