Addressing the plenary sitting, the President emphasized that Russia's war in Ukraine has dramatically changed the security situation in the region. He underscored the urgent need to increase defense capabilities on the eastern flank of the Alliance. The current security situation calls for a swift move from forward presence to forward defense, the President said.
Gitanas Nausėda also stressed that it is time to stop hoping that Russia would change. NATO needs to leave these illusions behind by clearly identifying Russia as a long-term threat to Euro-Atlantic security and adjusting its security and defense reinforcement plans accordingly.
“We must do everything it takes to make sure nobody ever dares to test NATO’s unity and resolve. It is crucial to ensure there are no weak spots left in our defense. Next month in Madrid, we must take the necessary decisions to make the Alliance stronger and take our security to a new level. Hesitation and passiveness are a sign for the Kremlin to continue its aggression,” the President said.
Gitanas Nausėda stressed that NATO must continue to support Ukraine – defending its freedom and sovereignty – by all possible means. He said that the recent calls for Ukraine to give up part of its territory in exchange for peace were totally unacceptable. Instead of offering concessions to the aggressor, the President called on NATO colleagues to show firmness and unity in their support for Ukraine and to help it achieve its European and Euro-Atlantic goals.
