NATO Summit Vilnius 2023
2023 Vilnius Summit
Host countryLithuania
Date11–12 July 2023
Venue(s)LITEXPO
CitiesVilnius
Follows2022 Madrid summit
Precedes2024 Washington summit
Websitewww.nato.int

The 2023 Vilnius summit was a meeting of the heads of state and heads of government of the thirty-one members of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), their partner countries, and the European Union, held in Vilnius, Lithuania, on 11–12 July 2023. The summit was officially proposed during the previous 2022 Madrid summit and its dates were fixed on 9 November 2022.[1][2] It was notable for the discussions about the ongoing Russian invasion of Ukraine as well as Sweden and Ukraine's prospective memberships into the alliance.[3]

Background

The summit was held in the context of an ongoing Russian invasion of Ukraine. In his January 2023 address to the Lithuanian Parliament, President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy described the summit as fateful.[4] Ukraine expressed the desire to be formally invited to NATO at the Vilnius summit.[5] On 8 July 2023, US President Joe Biden said that Ukraine is not ready to join NATO at that time.[6] By the time of the summit there were 24 member states that had formally declared their support for Ukraine's NATO membership.[7][8] Before the summit, on 4 July 2023, the former President of Lithuania Dalia Grybauskaitė criticized the Western leaders who failed to prevent the Russian aggression and said that the refusal to invite Ukraine to NATO would be a mistake.[9]

Following the accession of Finland to NATO earlier in 2023, there had been an expectation among many NATO member states that Turkey and Hungary will complete the ratification process and allow the accession of Sweden before the summit.[10] However, due to Turkish objections, it was unclear if Turkey would support Sweden's application by the time of the summit.[11]

Australia, Japan, New Zealand and South Korea attended the summit to strengthen their ties with NATO due to increasing tensions with China and Russia.[12][13]

Security

US Air Force One lands in Vilnius Airport. MIM-104 Patriot air defence systems visible in the background.
President of Lithuania Gitanas Nausėda and the First Lady of Lithuania meet UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak

According to a representative of the Dignitary Protection Service of Lithuania, 40 heads of state and up to 150 other high-ranking officials will attend the summit and will require personal protection.[14] To ensure the safety and security, Lithuania committed around 1,500 police officers, including the anti-terrorist unit ARAS and the Criminal Police Bureau, as well as over 3,000 troops of the Lithuanian Armed Forces.[14] Additionally, police officers from Latvia and Poland aided in security and around 1,000 troops from NATO states additionally joined as well, including the Polish Special Forces to aid the Lithuanian Special Operations Force.[14][15] Overall, up to 12,000 officers and soldiers were.[14] In addition to security personnel, Spain is reported to have temporarily moved its NASAMS air defense system from its long-term position in Latvia to Vilnius, in addition to Lithuania's own NASAMS systems.[14] Similarly, German Armed Forces have deployed their MIM-104 Patriot long-range air defense system, placing it in Vilnius International Airport.[16][17] NATO sent additional warships to the Baltic Sea.[18] CBRN task force was also deployed.[14]

The Lithuanian State Border Guard Service announced that, from 7 July to 13 July, internal Schengen Area border control would be reinstated at Lithuania's border checkpoints with member nations Latvia and Poland, as well as its airports and seaports.[19] For the duration of the event, as well as the days leading up to and after the event, many traffic restrictions were announced by the Vilnius City Municipality, including the closure of the entirety of the Vilnius Old Town and many parts of the city center for vehicles.[20] Additionally, from July 11 to 12, all flights over Vilnius and the surrounding airspace were prohibited and scheduled flights from Vilnius Airport were suspended.[21] According to a representative of Lithuanian Airports, the other two civilian airports in Lithuania — Kaunas Airport and Palanga Airport — would continue to work but could experience delays.[22]

Summit

NATO–Ukraine Council
The signing of the F-16 training coalition memorandum

US President Joe Biden and a number of other leaders began arriving in Vilnius on Monday, the eve of the summit.[23] In the evening, the Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg hosted a meeting between Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson. Following multiple hours of negotiations, Stoltenberg announced that Erdoğan agreed to unblock Swedish accession to NATO and ensure the ratification as soon as possible.[24] Soon after the announcement, Hungarian Prime Minister, Viktor Orban, stated that Hungary would no longer block the entry of Sweden and would also support their membership into the defence bloc.[25]

On 11 July, the three Baltic States (Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania) signed an agreement on joint airspace defense.[26]

On 11 July, a memorandum was signed between 11 nations and Ukraine to form the F-16 training coalition. As part of the signed memorandum, Ukrainian pilots, technicians, and support personnel will participate in the training program. The coalition consisted of Canada, Belgium, Denmark, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Sweden, and the United Kingdom.[27] According to the US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin, Denmark and the Netherlands took leadership of the formed coalition and the two nations are to outline the training plan.[28]

Stoltenberg stated that Ukraine will not become a NATO member while the Russo-Ukrainian War remains ongoing and that the summit was not meant to be a formal invitation for it to join NATO, although countries remain divided on whether Ukraine should be able to join after the war ends.[29] Ukraine's president Volodymyr Zelenskyy said that he wanted NATO to allow Ukraine to join as soon as possible after the war ends. However, other nations feared that such quick admittance of Ukraine to NATO could potentially increase Russian aggression and drag out the war even farther.[30] Stoltenberg has also stated that he expects the summit to create a program of long-term aid over several years for Ukraine: "We have already pledged 500 million euros [US$548m] for critical needs, including fuel, medical supplies, de-mining equipment and pontoon bridges. We will also help build Ukraine's security and defence sector, including with military hospitals. And we will help Ukraine transition from Soviet-era to NATO equipment and standards."[3]

Following the summit, Biden gave a speech at Vilnius University that touched on themes of unity between liberal democracies in the face of Russian aggression.[31]

Participants

Family photo of the 2023 Vilnius summit
Joe Biden met with Jens Stoltenberg at the summit
Participants of the summit attend the Lithuanian President's dinner
Key
Non-NATO member
Country or
organization		 Head of Delegation Title Ref.
 NATO Jens Stoltenberg Secretary General [32]
 Albania Edi Rama Prime Minister [33]
 Australia Anthony Albanese Prime Minister [34][35]
 Belgium Alexander De Croo Prime Minister
 Bosnia and Herzegovina Josip Brkić Deputy Foreign Minister
 Bulgaria Nikolai Denkov Prime Minister [36]
 Canada Justin Trudeau Prime Minister [37]
 Croatia Zoran Milanović President [38]
 Czech Republic Petr Pavel President
 Denmark Mette Frederiksen Prime Minister [39]
 Estonia Kaja Kallas Prime Minister [40]
 European Union Charles Michel Council President [41]
Ursula von der Leyen Commission President [42]
 Finland Sauli Niinistö President [43]
 France Emmanuel Macron President [34][44]
 Georgia Ilia Darchiashvili Foreign Minister [45]
 Germany Olaf Scholz Chancellor [46]
 Greece Kyriakos Mitsotakis Prime Minister [47]
 Hungary Viktor Orbán Prime Minister
 Iceland Katrín Jakobsdóttir Prime Minister
 Italy Giorgia Meloni Prime Minister
 Japan Fumio Kishida Prime Minister [34][48]
 Latvia Krišjānis Kariņš Prime Minister [49]
 Lithuania Gitanas Nausėda (host) President
 Luxembourg Xavier Bettel Prime Minister [50]
 Moldova Nicu Popescu Foreign Minister
 Montenegro Jakov Milatović President
 Netherlands Mark Rutte Prime Minister
 New Zealand Chris Hipkins Prime Minister [34][35]
 North Macedonia Dimitar Kovačevski Prime Minister
 Norway Jonas Gahr Støre Prime Minister [51]
 Poland Andrzej Duda President [52]
 Portugal António Costa Prime Minister [53]
 Romania Klaus Iohannis President [54]
 Slovakia Zuzana Čaputová President
 Slovenia Robert Golob Prime Minister [55]
 South Korea Yoon Suk Yeol President [34][56]
 Spain Pedro Sánchez Prime Minister
 Sweden Ulf Kristersson Prime Minister
 Turkey Recep Tayyip Erdoğan President [47]
 Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy President [57]
 United Kingdom Rishi Sunak Prime Minister [58]
 United States Joe Biden President [59]

    Reactions

    In a July 12 CNN interview, Boris Johnson, prime minister of the United Kingdom at the onset of the war, criticized the ambiguity about Ukraine's future membership and supported President Biden's decision to send cluster munitions to Ukraine.[60]

    British Secretary of Defence Ben Wallace made a remark that "we are not Amazon" and that Ukraine should show more thanks for international military aid.[61][62] British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, however, distanced himself from the comment and said that Ukrainians repeatedly expressed the gratitude.[63]

    See also

    References

    1. ↑ "Madrid Summit Declaration". NATO. 29 June 2022. Archived from the original on 6 July 2022. Retrieved 15 February 2023.
    2. ↑ "NATO Secretary General announces dates for 2023 Vilnius Summit". NATO. 9 November 2022. Archived from the original on 14 February 2023. Retrieved 15 February 2023.
    3. 1 2 Shankar, Priyanka. "NATO membership of Ukraine, Sweden in focus at Vilnius summit". www.aljazeera.com. Archived from the original on 11 July 2023. Retrieved 11 July 2023.
    4. ↑ "Zelenskyy Hopes That NATO Summit in Lithuania Will Be Fateful". www.eurointegration.com.ua. 13 January 2023. Archived from the original on 15 March 2023. Retrieved 15 February 2023.
    5. ↑ "Ukraine wants NATO invite at Vilnius summit, urges 'courage,' Zelenskiy aide says". Reuters. 29 June 2023. Archived from the original on 4 July 2023. Retrieved 4 July 2023.
    6. ↑ "Biden: Ukraine is not ready for NATO membership now". Yahoo Life. 8 July 2023. Retrieved 8 July 2023.
    7. ↑ "Portugal supports Ukraine's membership in NATO when conditions allow". www.ukrinform.net. 8 July 2023. Archived from the original on 8 July 2023. Retrieved 8 July 2023.
    8. ↑ Tuysuz, Hira Humayun,Radina Gigova,Mariya Knight,Tara John,Gul (7 July 2023). "Turkey's Erdogan says Ukraine deserves NATO membership". CNN. Archived from the original on 8 July 2023. Retrieved 8 July 2023.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
    9. ↑ "Europe said Baltics were right about Russia, but is ignoring us again, says Lithuania's former president". LRT. 4 July 2023. Archived from the original on 4 July 2023. Retrieved 4 July 2023.
    10. ↑ "Lithuania hopes Sweden will join NATO ahead of Vilnius summit despite Hungary's objection". LRT. 29 June 2023. Archived from the original on 4 July 2023. Retrieved 4 July 2023.
    11. ↑ "Sweden's NATO bid could face delay beyond Vilnius summit – Western official". Reuters. 28 June 2003. Archived from the original on 28 June 2023. Retrieved 4 July 2003.
    12. ↑ "Statement of the NATO Secretary General with representatives of Australia, New Zealand, Japan and South Korea". NATO. 5 April 2023. Archived from the original on 4 July 2023. Retrieved 4 July 2023.
    13. ↑ "With eye on China, Japan to deepen ties with NATO at key leaders' summit". The Japan Times. 2 July 2023. Archived from the original on 4 July 2023. Retrieved 4 July 2023.
    14. 1 2 3 4 5 6 "Unprecedented scale: 12,000 officers, troops to ensure security during NATO summit in Vilnius". Lithuanian National Radio and Television. 3 July 2023. Archived from the original on 3 July 2023. Retrieved 3 July 2023.
    15. ↑ "Poland to send special forces contingent to Lithuania for NATO summit". Lithuanian National Radio and television. 30 June 2023. Archived from the original on 4 July 2023. Retrieved 4 July 2023.
    16. ↑ "Germany deploys Patriot air defence system for NATO summit in Vilnius". Lithuanian National Radio and television. 29 June 2023. Archived from the original on 3 July 2023. Retrieved 3 July 2023.
    17. ↑ "Nausėda lankysis "Patriot" dislokacijos vietoje Vilniuje" [Nausėda will visit the "Patriot" deployment site in Vilnius]. Delfi (in Lithuanian). 7 July 2023. Archived from the original on 8 July 2023. Retrieved 9 July 2023.
    18. ↑ "NATO sends more warships to the Baltic Sea". LRT. 4 July 2023. Archived from the original on 4 July 2023. Retrieved 5 July 2023.
    19. ↑ "Lithuania to reinstate checks on borders with Poland, Latvia for NATO summit". Lithuanian National Radio and television. 31 May 2023. Archived from the original on 3 July 2023. Retrieved 3 July 2023.
    20. ↑ "NATO viršūnių susitikimas Vilniuje" [NATO summit in Vilnius]. NATO viršūnių susitikimas Vilniuje (in Lithuanian). Archived from the original on 3 July 2023. Retrieved 3 July 2023.
    21. ↑ "Dažnai užduodami klausimai" [NATO summit in Vilnius — FAQ]. NATO viršūnių susitikimas Vilniuje (in Lithuanian). Archived from the original on 3 July 2023. Retrieved 3 July 2023.
    22. ↑ "NATO viršūnių susitikimas: svarbiausia informacija keleiviams" [NATO summit: essential information for passengers]. Kaunas Airport (in Lithuanian). Archived from the original on 4 July 2023. Retrieved 3 July 2023.
    23. ↑ "US President Joe Biden arrives in Lithuania – photos". LRT. 10 July 2023. Archived from the original on 11 July 2023. Retrieved 10 July 2023.
    24. ↑ "Turkey's Erdogan to back Sweden joining Nato – Stoltenberg". BBC News. 10 July 2023. Archived from the original on 10 July 2023. Retrieved 10 July 2023.
    25. ↑ Siebold, Sabine; Irish, John (10 July 2023). "Turkey gives green light to Swedish NATO membership bid". Reuters. Retrieved 11 July 2023.
    26. ↑ "Baltic States agree on joint airspace defense". LSM. 11 July 2023. Retrieved 10 November 2023.
    27. ↑ "In Vilnius, Oleksii Reznikov signed the Memorandum on the establishing of the coalition for the training Ukrainian pilots for the F-16". mil.gov.ua. 11 July 2023.
    28. ↑ Gordon, Chris (15 June 2023). "NATO Allies Reveal New Details on Ukrainian F-16 Training". airandspaceforces.com.
    29. ↑ Siebold, Sabine (10 July 2023). "Explainer: What's on the table for NATO at Vilnius summit?". Reuters. Archived from the original on 11 July 2023. Retrieved 11 July 2023.
    30. ↑ "Nato summit: Ukraine's future membership to be discussed by leaders in Vilnius". BBC News. 10 July 2023. Retrieved 11 July 2023.
    31. ↑ "Biden vows U.S. and allies 'will not waver' in defense of Ukraine". NBC News. 12 July 2023. Retrieved 26 July 2023.
    32. ↑ "NATO chief offers Vilnius summit preview at White House". Al Jazeera. 13 June 2023. Archived from the original on 25 June 2023. Retrieved 25 June 2023.
    33. ↑ "NATO summit in Lithuania, Rama: Albania ready to commit additional troops". Euronews Albania. 9 July 2023. Archived from the original on 11 July 2023. Retrieved 10 July 2023.
    34. 1 2 3 4 5 "Ahead of the NATO Summit in Vilnius: What Vilnius Residents and Visitors Need to Know". Vilnius City Municipality. 29 May 2023. Archived from the original on 22 June 2023. Retrieved 22 June 2023.
    35. 1 2 "Australia prime minister to attend NATO summit in July". Reuters. 21 April 2023. Archived from the original on 27 June 2023. Retrieved 27 June 2023.
    36. ↑ "Bulgaria's PM will lead the Delegation to the NATO Summit – Novinite.com – Sofia News Agency". www.novinite.com. Archived from the original on 27 June 2023. Retrieved 27 June 2023.
    37. ↑ "Prime Minister Justin Trudeau travelling to Latvia and NATO summit in Lithuania". CTV News. 4 July 2023. Archived from the original on 6 July 2023. Retrieved 6 July 2023.
    38. ↑ ""We are going to Vilnius to show solidarity, but Croatia has no say on important decisions"". The Voice of Croatia. Archived from the original on 27 June 2023. Retrieved 27 June 2023.
    39. ↑ "Arrival of Danish Prime Minister at the NATO Summit in Vilnius". DVIDS. Retrieved 11 July 2023.
    40. ↑ "Greetings to NAFOfellas at the first-ever NAFOSummit in Vilnius. NAFO is a living example of how to disarm Russian disinformation with humour, intelligence and enthusiasm. Behind every Fella is a real person who believes in Ukraine's victory. Thank you for your service". Twitter. Archived from the original on 9 July 2023. Retrieved 9 July 2023.
    41. ↑ https://twitter.com/CharlesMichel/status/1678467528115232778?s=20
    42. ↑ https://twitter.com/MariusVascega/status/1678794296256868360?s=20
    43. ↑ "President Niinistö to NATO Summit in Vilnius". 7 July 2023. Retrieved 9 July 2023.
    44. ↑ S.A, Telewizja Polska. "Macron and Nausėda discuss Ukraine crisis strengthening NATO defense". tvpworld.com (in Polish). Archived from the original on 27 June 2023. Retrieved 27 June 2023.
    45. ↑ "Foreign Minister Ilia Darchiashvili Attends the NATO Vilnius Summit". Civil.ge. Archived from the original on 11 July 2023. Retrieved 11 July 2023.
    46. ↑ "Tautiškos giesmės" giedojimas Lietuvoje ir visame pasaulyje". Delfi. Archived from the original on 7 July 2023. Retrieved 6 July 2023.
    47. 1 2 "Turkiye Erdogan, Greece Mitsotakis to meet at July NATO summit". Middle East Monitor. 26 June 2023. Archived from the original on 27 June 2023. Retrieved 27 June 2023.
    48. ↑ "Japan's Kishida to Visit Europe, Middle East in July". nippon.com. 21 June 2023. Archived from the original on 27 June 2023. Retrieved 27 June 2023.
    49. ↑ "Kariņš at NATO summit: Sweden's accession will change Baltic military situation". LSM. 11 July 2023. Retrieved 11 July 2023.
    50. ↑ "Xavier Bettel, François Bausch et Jean Asselborn participeront au Sommet de l'OTAN à Vilnius". 10 July 2023.
    51. ↑ "Historic Summit for Norway, the Nordic countries and NATO". Government of Norway. 11 July 2023. Retrieved 11 July 2023.
    52. ↑ "Participation of the Polish President in the NATO Summit in Vilnius". prezydent (in Polish). Retrieved 10 July 2023.
    53. ↑ "NATO accepts Portuguese proposal to focus on Africa more closely". Government of Portugal. 11 July 2023. Retrieved 11 July 2023.
    54. ↑ "President Iohannis to attend NATO summit in Vilnius". National Press Agency AGERPRES. 11 July 2023. Retrieved 11 July 2023.
    55. ↑ "Golob: Sweden's accession to NATO signals change in its doctrine". Slovenian Press Agency. 11 July 2023. Retrieved 11 July 2023.
    56. ↑ "President Yoon to attend NATO Summit in Lithuania next month". koreatimes. 4 June 2023. Archived from the original on 27 June 2023. Retrieved 27 June 2023.
    57. ↑ "Zelenskiy plans to attend July NATO summit in Vilnius – Ukraine ambassador". Reuters. 22 February 2023. Archived from the original on 22 June 2023. Retrieved 22 June 2023.
    58. ↑ "Joe Biden will meet with King Charles at Windsor Castle on UK visit this month". inews. 2 July 2023. Archived from the original on 3 July 2023. Retrieved 3 July 2023.
    59. ↑ "Sky-high NATO summit costs raise questions in Lithuania". euronews. 8 May 2023. Archived from the original on 27 June 2023. Retrieved 27 June 2023.
    60. ↑ Boris Johnson says Wagner's rebellion signals Putin's political mortality, retrieved 13 July 2023
    61. ↑ Moody, Oliver; Grylls, George (13 July 2023). "Russia-Ukraine war: Kyiv voices gratitude for aid after Ben Wallace warns 'we're not Amazon'". The Times. ISSN 0140-0460. Retrieved 13 July 2023.
    62. ↑ Sabbagh, Dan (12 July 2023). "US and UK call for more gratitude from Kyiv after Zelenskiy's Nato complaint". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 13 July 2023.
    63. ↑ "Ben Wallace accused of 'scolding' Ukraine over demands for weapons: 'We're not Amazon'". The Independent. 13 July 2023. Retrieved 10 November 2023.
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