The draft communiqué for the NATO summit set for June 24-25 in The Hague is notably concise and largely avoids mentioning Ukraine, concentrating instead on boosting defense spending.
This document starkly contrasts with last year’s lengthy version, which spanned over a dozen pages and promised long-term defense aid to Ukraine. The new statement solely emphasizes defense expenditures. NATO members are required to raise their spending from the current 2% to at least 3.5% of GDP by 2032, along with an extra 1.5% for securing infrastructure, borders, and other defense-related initiatives, including citizen preparedness for crises.
The member nations will also contemplate including their support for Ukraine in their overall defense spending calculations. Unlike past statements, the draft communiqué fails to discuss any prospects for Ukraine’s NATO membership. Additionally, it does not reference last year’s proposal to provide $40B in military aid to Kyiv annually. That decision was not reached last year as not all countries were ready to commit to long-term obligations.
The draft labels Russia as a “threat” to Euro-Atlantic security but refrains from designating it as an “aggressor” for waging a war in Ukraine.