Source: NATO
NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte participated in the B9 and Nordic Summit in Vilnius on Monday (2 June 2025), hosted by President of Lithuania Gitanas Nausėda, at which Allied leaders were joined by President Zelenskyy of Ukraine. Discussions focused on preparing the NATO Summit in The Hague and strengthening support for Ukraine.
The Secretary General thanked President Nausėda for hosting the meeting and commended Lithuania’s leadership and commitment to NATO. “Lithuania is a staunch Ally, and continues to lead by example,” said Mr Rutte, highlighting Lithuania’s current investment of over 4% of GDP in defence and its plans to increase this to between 5-6% in 2026. “This sends an incredibly powerful message of commitment to our collective defence, and it also sets an example for our other Allies. On this stage, and in our meetings today, it is clear that the commitment to collective defence is strong,” he said.
During their meeting, leaders discussed how to further strengthen NATO’s deterrence and defence. “We are facing the most dangerous security environment in decades,” said Mr Rutte. “We are not at war – but we are not at peace either.” He stressed the need to pivot to warfighting readiness, including significantly more forces that are well-trained, well-equipped, fully supported and sustainable. Mr Rutte said he expects the Summit in The Hague to demonstrate Allies’ enduring commitment to collective defence – through increased defence investment and defence industrial production, and agreement on ambitious new capability targets. “We continue to count on the B9 and our Nordic Allies to play a key role in these important efforts,” he said.
Support for Ukraine will also be a priority for the Summit in The Hague. The Secretary General commended Ukraine’s efforts, and the role of Baltic and Nordic countries in providing persistent military and financial assistance. “A strong, sovereign Ukraine is essential for Euro-Atlantic security,” said Mr Rutte.
The B9 format brings together Bulgaria, the Czech Republic, Estonia, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Romania and Slovakia. This summit was held jointly with Nordic Allies Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway and Sweden. President Zelenskyy of Ukraine attended elements of the meeting.