This was the first time Sweden took part in the talks on the level of NATO foreign ministers in its new capacity of the 32nd ally.

The ministers discussed continued military support for Ukraine and preparations for the NATO summit in Washington, D.C. (9–11 July). Minister Radosław Sikorski emphasised that further adjustment of NATO’s collective defence, supported by all allies’ appropriate level of defence spending, should remain a priority for the Alliance. He also called for ensuring adequate military aid for Ukraine and working out a comprehensive approach to long-term threat posed by Russia.

The head of Polish diplomacy shared the details of a recent incident in which a Russian cruise missile breached the Allied airspace in Poland. In the ensuing discussion, NATO ministers of foreign affairs expressed solidarity with Poland and considered additional air defence support options.

On the second day, a meeting of the NATO-Ukraine Council took place, attended by Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba. The agenda included the current situation at the frontline and Ukraine’s ongoing needs in terms of arms supplies, with a particular focus on air defence. Poland’s top diplomat called for enhanced efforts in order to provide Ukraine with all necessary means helping the country effectively defend itself against Russia’s attacks. In Poland’s view, decisions taken at the July summit should also reflect the tangible and political progress Ukraine has so far made on its path towards NATO.

During the debate attended by High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy and NATO’s Asia-Pacific partners, that is Australia, Japan, New Zealand, and South Korea, the participants discussed how their future cooperation will look like, also given the upcoming summit in Washington, D.C. Minister Sikorski thanked the NATO partners for their contribution to the support for Ukraine and for boosting the security of individual allies.

The ministers also took part in the celebrations to mark NATO’s 75th anniversary. During the ceremony, Minister Sikorski presented Poland’s perspective of NATO membership and recalled that even though in 1949, when the Alliance was born, Poland unintentionally found itself on the other side of the Iron Curtain, it is now a strong and reliable member.

 

Photo: NATO