Lithuania has officially endorsed Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte for the position of NATO Secretary-General, Lithuanian President Gitanas Nausėda announced after a meeting with Rutte in Vilnius.
During a press conference, Nausėda praised Rutte for being among the politicians who recognized the Russian threat early on and significantly altered their stance towards Russia. He highlighted Rutte’s particular sensitivity and understanding of the threats to NATO’s eastern flank.
The Lithuanian President expressed his hope that Rutte would insist on and press other NATO countries to reach the 2% of GDP defense spending threshold as soon as possible, adding that “in the current circumstances, this threshold is too low, minimal, and insufficient.”
Nausėda emphasized the importance of having someone who understands the long-term, multifaceted nature of Russian threats, not just in military terms but also in terms of disinformation, cybersecurity, and orchestrated migration. “We must face these threats in a comprehensive manner,” Nausėda stated.
“For the Netherlands, defeating Russia and Ukraine's victory is a priority. We believe the NATO eastern flank must be defended, and we contribute to many initiatives for this purpose,” Rutte said in Vilnius.
He stressed the unity within NATO and the EU against any attempts by Putin to breach their borders and emphasized the need for the EU and NATO to actively work on strengthening their military resilience in the face of Russian military threats.
Estonia’s Foreign Minister Margus Tsahkna also expressed support for Rutte's candidacy on Tuesday.
Strategic Agenda discussions
Meanwhile, “European Council President Charles Michel has launched the second round of Strategic Agenda discussions with EU leaders” starting with Vilnius, the EU Council wrote on social media.
During a joint press conference with the Lithuanian head of state, Michel stressed that “We must do everything to build a strong and secure European Union.”
“We support Ukraine for as long as it takes. We'll mobilize all possible resources: financial means, military equipment, political support. And we made a very clear choice, a historic choice when we made this decision, to grant candidate status to Ukraine and to start negotiations with Ukraine,” he added.
“We do not underestimate the challenges we face. We are not intimidated. And I think that the last two years we have demonstrated our ability to act in a united way, which is fundamental because when we are together when we are united, we are strong we are influential,” Michel concluded.
EU Strategic Agenda
“Every five years, EU leaders agree on the EU’s political priorities for the future. It is a collective effort led by the President of the European Council, where leaders discuss and decide together. It takes place in the context of the European Parliament elections and ahead of the appointment of each European Commission,” the European Council states on its official website.
After Vilnius, the EU Council president will visit Bucharest, Warsaw, and Vienna.
The Lithuanian President expressed his hope that Rutte would insist on and press other NATO countries to reach the 2% of GDP defense spending threshold as soon as possible, adding that “in the current circumstances, this threshold is too low, minimal, and insufficient.”
Nausėda emphasized the importance of having someone who understands the long-term, multifaceted nature of Russian threats, not just in military terms but also in terms of disinformation, cybersecurity, and orchestrated migration. “We must face these threats in a comprehensive manner,” Nausėda stated.
“For the Netherlands, defeating Russia and Ukraine's victory is a priority. We believe the NATO eastern flank must be defended, and we contribute to many initiatives for this purpose,” Rutte said in Vilnius.
He stressed the unity within NATO and the EU against any attempts by Putin to breach their borders and emphasized the need for the EU and NATO to actively work on strengthening their military resilience in the face of Russian military threats.
Estonia’s Foreign Minister Margus Tsahkna also expressed support for Rutte's candidacy on Tuesday.
Strategic Agenda discussions
Meanwhile, “European Council President Charles Michel has launched the second round of Strategic Agenda discussions with EU leaders” starting with Vilnius, the EU Council wrote on social media.
The Lithuanian president and EU Council President Charles Michel held talks with Czech PM Petr Fiala, Bulgarian PM Nikolai Denkov, Swedish PM Ulf Kristersson, and Dutch PM Mark Rutte.🇱🇹 Vilnius
— EU Council (@EUCouncil) April 2, 2024
🇷🇴 Bucharest
🇵🇱 Warsaw
🇦🇹 Vienna
European Council President @CharlesMichel has launched the second round of #StrategicAgenda discussions with EU leaders.
This is what you need to know 👇 https://t.co/yW2GaO8nbo
During a joint press conference with the Lithuanian head of state, Michel stressed that “We must do everything to build a strong and secure European Union.”
“We support Ukraine for as long as it takes. We'll mobilize all possible resources: financial means, military equipment, political support. And we made a very clear choice, a historic choice when we made this decision, to grant candidate status to Ukraine and to start negotiations with Ukraine,” he added.
“We do not underestimate the challenges we face. We are not intimidated. And I think that the last two years we have demonstrated our ability to act in a united way, which is fundamental because when we are together when we are united, we are strong we are influential,” Michel concluded.
EU Strategic Agenda
“Every five years, EU leaders agree on the EU’s political priorities for the future. It is a collective effort led by the President of the European Council, where leaders discuss and decide together. It takes place in the context of the European Parliament elections and ahead of the appointment of each European Commission,” the European Council states on its official website.
After Vilnius, the EU Council president will visit Bucharest, Warsaw, and Vienna.
Source: PAP, Reuters
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