Brussels: Europe and the Arabs
NATO foreign ministers resumed discussions that began yesterday at NATO headquarters in Brussels, and in his opening speech to today's meeting, NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said, "Russia's war against Ukraine continues. President Putin is not preparing for peace, he is preparing for more war. As we discussed yesterday with Minister Kuleba "NATO Allies are united in our commitment to continue and intensify our support. We must give Ukraine everything it needs on the battlefield to prevail as a sovereign and independent state. NATO will also continue to support other partners facing pressure from Russia, including Moldova, Georgia, and Bosnia and Herzegovina. We will discuss how to counter Other threats and challenges to our alliance—including those emanating from the south—and how to deal with growing strategic competition, including China's growing alliance with Russia.
Finally, we will discuss defense spending. In a contested and dangerous world, we cannot take our security for granted, so we must invest more in our defense. At the Vilnius Summit, I expect the Allies to agree to an ambitious new Defense Investment Pledge, with a minimum investment of 2% of GDP in defence.
This comes after the foreign ministers of the Quad-Atlantic group discussed the continued support being provided to Ukraine.
And the official website of the US State Department stated, in a statement today, Wednesday, that US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken discussed with the foreign ministers of France Catherine Colonna, Germany Annalina Baerbock, and Britain James Cleverly on the sidelines of the meeting of NATO foreign ministers in Brussels, continued support for NATO and bilateral support for Ukraine. While continuing to defend itself against the Russian military operation.
Blinken expressed his hope for the success of the NATO summit in Lithuania, which will be held next July, and stressed the future work necessary to strengthen NATO's deterrence and defense.
He noted the importance of continuing close cooperation to promote common goals of peace, stability and prosperity in the Indo-Pacific region and beyond, in line with the international system.