The final declaration of the NATO summit in Washington has been released.
While the summit, which marked the 75th anniversary of the Alliance, was full of meetings, the final declaration was dominated by the war in Ukraine and harsh words for China and Russia.
The declaration emphasised that NATO is a “defence alliance” and stressed that the Alliance’s three main missions are deterrence and defence, crisis prevention and management, and cooperative security.
“Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine has disrupted peace and stability in the Euro-Atlantic region and seriously damaged global security,” NATO said, declaring that Russia “remains the most significant and immediate threat to the security of our Allies”.
“Conflict, fragility and instability in Africa and the Middle East directly affect our security and that of our partners,” the statement said, making no reference to Israel’s occupation of Gaza.
NATO accused Iran of affecting Euro-Atlantic security through “destabilising” actions and argued that “the stated objectives and coercive policies of the People’s Republic of China (PRC) continue to challenge NATO’s interests, security and values”.
“The deepening strategic partnership between Russia and the People’s Republic of China and their mutually reinforcing attempts to undermine and reshape the rules-based international order are of deep concern,” the declaration said.
NATO members said they could not rule out the possibility of an attack on the sovereignty and territorial integrity of allied countries and said they would continue to strengthen NATO’s deterrence and defence “against all threats and challenges, in all domains and in multiple strategic directions in the Euro-Atlantic area”.
Military coordination centre established in Ukraine
“We reaffirm our unwavering solidarity with the people of Ukraine in their heroic defence of their nation, their territory and our shared values,” NATO said in a statement. NATO has decided to establish NATO Security Assistance and Training for Ukraine (NSATU) to coordinate the provision of military equipment and training to Ukraine by Allies and Partners.
NSATU, which will operate in allied countries, will “support Ukraine’s self-defence in accordance with the UN Charter”.
It will “not make NATO a party to the conflict, in accordance with international law” and will “support the transformation of Ukraine’s defence and security forces and ensure their further integration into NATO”.
The Allies argued that Ukraine’s future lies in NATO, and that Kiev is becoming increasingly interoperable and politically integrated with NATO.
While support for Ukraine’s NATO membership was reaffirmed, the condition of “meeting the conditions” was once again on the agenda.
Russia urged to withdraw from Georgia, Moldova and Ukraine
It also called on Russia to stop the war immediately and to withdraw all its forces from Ukraine completely and unconditionally in accordance with UN General Assembly resolutions.
“We also call on Russia to withdraw all forces deployed in Moldova and Georgia without their consent,” NATO said, declaring that it would never recognise Russia’s “illegal annexation” of Ukrainian territory, including Crimea.
Claiming that Russia is seeking to “fundamentally restructure” the Euro-Atlantic security architecture, NATO said: “The threat posed by Russia to NATO in all domains will persist over the long term. Russia is rebuilding and expanding its military capabilities, continuing its airspace violations and provocative activities,” NATO said.
NATO insisted it was not a threat to Russia and said it was ready to maintain channels of communication with Moscow to reduce risks and avoid escalation.
Warnings to Russia about Belarus, Iran and China
The NATO statement called on all countries not to support “Russian aggression” and condemned “all those who facilitate and prolong Russia’s war in Ukraine”.
“Belarus continues to facilitate this war by providing its territory and infrastructure,” NATO said, adding that Belarus’ deepening political and military integration with Russia “has negative consequences for regional stability and the defence of the Alliance”.
Arguing that the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK) and Iran were fuelling the war by providing direct military support to Russia, such as munitions and unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), NATO said it “strongly condemns the DPRK’s export of artillery shells and ballistic missiles in violation of numerous United Nations Security Council resolutions” and noted “with great concern the deepening ties between North Korea and Russia”.
“Iran’s transfer of ballistic missiles and related technology to Russia would constitute a serious escalation,” the statement said.
China in the crosshairs
“This increases the threat Russia poses to its neighbours and to Euro-Atlantic security,” NATO said, arguing that China has become a “decisive supporter” of Russia in the Ukraine war.
“This includes the transfer of dual-use items such as weapons components, equipment and raw materials that are inputs for Russia’s defence sector,” NATO said, calling on China to cut off all financial and political support for Russia’s war effort.
Indo-Pacific pivot to continue
“The Indo-Pacific region is important to NATO because developments in the region have a direct impact on Euro-Atlantic security,” NATO said, announcing that it would meet with the leaders of Australia, Japan, New Zealand, the Republic of Korea and the European Union to discuss “common security challenges and areas of cooperation”.
“We are strengthening dialogue to address cross-regional challenges and enhancing our practical cooperation, including pioneering projects in support of Ukraine, cyber defence, counter-disinformation and technology,” NATO said, stressing that it “welcomes” the continued contribution of NATO’s Asia-Pacific partners to Euro-Atlantic security.
Liaison office opened in Jordan
Describing the countries of the Middle East as “NATO’s southern neighbours”, the declaration invited the Secretary General to appoint a Special Representative for the Southern Neighbourhood to serve as NATO’s focal point in the region and to coordinate NATO’s efforts.
In this context, the Allies also announced that they had agreed to open a NATO Liaison Office in Amman with the Kingdom of Jordan.
“Building on the success of the NATO Mission in Iraq (NMI) and at the request of the Iraqi authorities, we have expanded our support to the Iraqi security institutions and will continue our engagement through the NMI,” NATO said.
