NATO Summit in Washington DC, Celebrating Alliance’s 75th Anniversary

Leaders of the 32 member states of the Atlantic Alliance are meeting in Washington, DC, to mark NATO’s 75th anniversary. The three-day summit, scheduled in the US capital, raises two big question marks: the recent conditions of Joe Biden, raising doubts about the real capabilities of the US president, and the visit of Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban, the current rotating president of the European Union, to Moscow and Beijing, which has not been coordinated with other European countries.

Despite the recent appointment of Mark Rutte as the Alliance’s new Secretary General, Jens Stoltenberg will still be the “host” until October 1. He explained the main objectives of the summit: “I expect the heads of state and government to agree on a substantial package for Ukraine. NATO will take over the coordination and provision of most international security assistance.”

“Deterrence and defense will be another important theme of our summit,” explained Stoltenberg, who also illustrated the transformation over the past decade: there are now 500,000 troops at high readiness, improved capabilities, combat-ready tactical teams, and the integration of new members. The summit should endorse a commitment to strengthen transatlantic industrial cooperation in the defense sector to achieve 2% defense spending by NATO member countries.

Although Ukraine and the stance toward Russia will be central issues, Stoltenberg said he has also invited the leaders of Australia, Japan, New Zealand, and the Republic of Korea to further deepen cooperation: “The closer authoritarian actors get, the more important it becomes to work extensively with our friends in the Indo-Pacific.”