NATO prepares for historic summit: where it will take place, agenda and security measures
Kyiv • UNN
On June 24-25, a NATO summit will be held in The Hague, where the main issues will be a new defense budget of 5% of GDP and the war in Ukraine. Spain has expressed reluctance to increase spending, and a meeting of the Ukraine-NATO Council is not planned.
In The Hague, Netherlands, on June 24-25, a summit of NATO member countries will take place, where member states are expected to agree on a new defense budget of 5% of GDP. Where this meeting will be held, what the planned agenda is, and how serious the security measures are, is reported by UNN.
The building where the NATO summit will be held
The summit venue is a convention center and theater next to the building that once housed the UN tribunal for the former Yugoslavia, where Bosnian Serb leader Radovan Karadzic, his military commander Ratko Mladic, and others were convicted of war crimes.
The venue is also located near the headquarters of the Nobel Peace Prize laureate, the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons, and the European Union's law enforcement agency for judicial cooperation.
NATO spending and Ukraine on the agenda
Associated Press reports that on Tuesday evening, NATO leaders plan to have dinner with King Willem-Alexander of the Netherlands at his palace. The next day, a meeting will take place where they are expected to agree on a new target for defense spending of 5% of GDP.
While leaders will dine with the Dutch royal family, NATO foreign and defense ministers will hold meetings at the summit venue to discuss issues including Russia's war in Ukraine.
When heads of government meet on Wednesday, they will seek an agreement on increasing military spending, as United States President Donald Trump insists that Europe must take care of its own security, while Washington focuses on China, the Middle East, and its own borders.
Main challenges of the summit
The biggest challenge is to convince all alliance members to reach the target of 5% of basic military spending. Spain, which has the lowest military spending in the Alliance, stated even before the summit that it wants an exception. The relevant statement was made by Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez, writes Reuters.
Expenditure of 5% would be disproportionate and unnecessary. We fully respect the legitimate desire of other countries to increase their defense investments, but we will not do this
He added that Spain can meet all its NATO obligations for personnel and equipment by spending only 2.1% of its GDP.
DW writes that other countries, such as Italy, demand more time than the proposed seven years to fulfill the commitment. Many NATO members are willing to spend more, but refuse to commit to annual plans \u2014 a kind of control mechanism \u2014 also proposed by NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte.
Ukraine-NATO Council meeting will not take place
Politico writes that a meeting of the Ukraine-NATO Council at the Alliance summit in The Hague at the leaders' level is not planned.
It is noted that it is currently unknown whether Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, who was only invited to an open dinner on Tuesday, will attend the summit.
There will be no meeting of the Ukraine-NATO Council in The Hague. This is another concession by the US, which, despite calls from some allies to hold such a session, was not interested in increasing focus on the war that Trump could not conclude, as he promised during last year's campaign
The largest security operation in the history of the Netherlands
Associated Press writes that as part of the largest security operation in the history of the Netherlands, authorities are blocking some cities, closing roads, and restricting airspace. Temporary barricades and metal mesh fences around the NATO summit venue are just some of the measures extending from The Hague.
About 27,000 police officers \u2014 roughly half of the country's entire force \u2014 will be on duty around the summit, along with over 10,000 servicemen.
Military police will protect delegations. Combat frigates will patrol the North Sea, F-35 fighters and Apache helicopters will take to the sky, and air defense systems will be on standby. EOD teams will sweep the venue for explosives.
Vehicles carrying leaders will travel under military police escort along closed highways from airports to their residences. Although civilian drones are prohibited from flying in the airspace around the summit and other key locations, police and military drones will fly in the sky over the summit venue and other gathering places for leaders.
Regular police and riot control officers will also be present at several protests that have already been announced, including an attempt by demonstrators to block the main highway into the city.
NATO forces are already monitoring the area, armed and on alert from military helicopters and warships. F-35 military aircraft are also involved, ready for deployment if needed. They are specifically monitoring drones or other small aircraft.
In addition, less visible but no less important measures are being taken to ensure cybersecurity.
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