Hague summit decision set to "build bridge" between Ukraine and NATO

A decision to be taken by the leaders of NATO member states at the summit in The Hague will be the next step in building a "bridge" between Ukraine and the Alliance.

NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte emphasised in The Hague at the start of a meeting with Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskyy that the Allies still regard NATO’s earlier pro-Ukrainian decisions, including the Washington Summit decision, as valid, and that the outcome document of the Hague Summit will indirectly reaffirm this.

"We have an important summit coming up, including important decisions on Ukraine, which is really building on the Washington Summit last year, where we decided that there is this irreversible path for Ukraine into NATO," he said.

Rutte did not specify exactly what he meant by this indirect confirmation, but it is known that the summit declaration is expected to include a statement on financing Ukraine's defence through the defence budgets of NATO member states.

"We’re building that bridge [between Ukraine and NATO], as we speak," Rutte added.

On 24 June, Dutch Prime Minister Dick Schoof said that he considers Ukraine part of the Euro-Atlantic family.

Yesterday Rutte revealed what the NATO summit resolution will say regarding Ukraine.