Hosted by Lithuanian President Gitanas Nausėda in the Palace of the Grand Dukes, the gathering brought together leaders from Lithuania, Latvia, Estonia, Sweden, Finland, Denmark, Norway, Iceland and the B9 group of Poland, the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Hungary, Romania and Bulgaria.
NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky attended as guests.
Polish President Andrzej Duda, who arrived in Vilnius on Sunday evening with First Lady Agata Kornhauser-Duda, urged allies to raise NATO’s minimum defense spending target from 2 percent to 3 percent of GDP, as part of efforts to deter Russia and satisfy US calls for greater European burden-sharing.
Key topics included accelerated reinforcement of NATO’s eastern flank, streamlined arms deliveries to Kyiv and long-term funding for defense industries, according to diplomats.
Poland, Romania and Lithuania said after the meeting that Central European, Nordic and Baltic NATO members remain committed to Ukrainian membership of the military alliance, according to reports.
They also called for further pressure on Russia, including more sanctions, Polish state news agency PAP reported.
“We stand firm on the Allied decision and commitment regarding Ukraine's irreversible path to full Euro-Atlantic integration, including NATO membership. Ukraine has the right to choose its own security arrangements and to decide its own future, free from outside interference," the leaders said in a joint statement.
Bilateral and commemorative stops
After Monday’s plenary, Duda was expected to hold bilateral talks with Nausėda and on Tuesday meet with Lithuanian Prime Minister Gintautas Paluckas before travelling to the Baltic resort of Palanga for further discussions with the Lithuanian head of state.
The Polish leader visited a Polish community in the Vilnius region and laid wreaths at the historic Rasos Cemetery, where the heart of Polish statesman Józef Piłsudski rests.
He also paid tribute at Ponary, the site of mass executions by Nazi German forces and their Lithuanian collaborators from 1941 to 1944.
(jh/gs)
Source: PAP, IAR