Allies agree to water down criticism of Putin in statement first reported by The Telegraph.
Nato allies have agreed to water down criticism of Russia in a statement signed off by leaders.
Language in the summit communique, which has been made considerably shorter than normal for Donald Trump, appears weaker compared to previous years.
In the statement, first reported by The Telegraph, Nato’s 32 members “reaffirm their enduring sovereign commitments to provide support to Ukraine, whose security contributes to ours, and, to this end, will include direct contributions towards Ukraine’s defence and its defence industry when calculating Allies’ defence spending”.
It appeared that the decision to omit mention of the war in Ukraine was made in exchange for Mr Trump’s commitment to Nato’s Article 5 mutual defence clause.
“We reaffirm our ironclad commitment to collective defence as enshrined in Article 5 of the Washington Treaty – that an attack on one is an attack on all,” the statement says.
Before the meeting in The Hague, Mr Trump had cast doubt over America’s commitment to the alliance.
He said there were “numerous definitions” of Article 5, sparking fears amongst member states that they could soon lose their US security guarantees.
European allies and Canada won back support by promising to increase their defence spending to 5 per cent of GDP.
“United in the face of profound security threats and challenges, in particular the long-term threat posed by Russia to Euro-Atlantic security and the persistent threat of terrorism, Allies commit to invest 5 per cent of GDP annually on core defence requirements as well as defence-and security-related spending by 2035,” their statement reads.
However, the omission of any reasoning for the alliance’s support for Ukraine will cause angst amongst the ardent backers of the war-torn nation.
In the statement issued after last year’s summit in Washington, Nato blamed the conflict on “Russia’s full-scale invasion” and insisted “Ukraine’s future was in Nato”.
In the 2023 summit in Vilnius, leaders said: “Russia bears full responsibility for its illegal, unjustifiable, and unprovoked war of aggression against Ukraine.”
Spot the difference: Nato statements on Russia and Ukraine
2024
Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine has shattered peace and stability in the Euro-Atlantic area and gravely undermined global security. Russia remains the most significant and direct threat to Allies’ security.We look forward to meeting with President Zelenskyy in the NATO-Ukraine Council. We reaffirm our unwavering solidarity with the people of Ukraine in the heroic defence of their nation, their land, and our shared values. A strong, independent, and democratic Ukraine is vital for the security and stability of the Euro-Atlantic area.
Ukraine’s fight for its independence, sovereignty, and territorial integrity within its internationally recognised borders directly contributes to Euro-Atlantic security.
As Ukraine continues this vital work, we will continue to support it on its irreversible path to full Euro-Atlantic integration, including NATO membership. We reaffirm that we will be in a position to extend an invitation to Ukraine to join the Alliance when Allies agree and conditions are met
Russia bears sole responsibility for its war of aggression against Ukraine, a blatant violation of international law, including the UN Charter.
Russia must immediately stop this war and completely and unconditionally withdraw all of its forces from Ukraine in line with UN General Assembly resolutions. We will never recognise Russia’s illegal annexation of Ukrainian territory, including Crimea. We also call on Russia to withdraw all of its forces from the Republic of Moldova and Georgia, stationed there without their consent.
We urge all countries not to provide any kind of assistance to Russia’s aggression. We condemn all those who are facilitating and thereby prolonging Russia’s war in Ukraine.
In addition to military support covered by this pledge, Allies intend to continue providing political, economic, financial, and humanitarian support to Ukraine.
2025
United in the face of profound security threats and challenges, in particular the long-term threat posed by Russia to Euro-Atlantic security and the persistent threat of terrorism, [ ] Allies commit to invest 5% of [ ] GDP annually on core defence requirements as well as defence-and security-related spending by 2035 to ensure our individual and collective obligations, in accordance with Article 3 of the Washington Treaty.Allies reaffirm their enduring sovereign commitments to provide support to Ukraine, whose security contributes to ours, and, to this end, will include direct contributions towards Ukraine’s defence and its defence industry when calculating Allies’ defence spending.
Volodymyr Zelensky, Ukraine’s president, has been pushing for Western support to further condemn Russia’s invasion on the sidelines of the summit.
Donald Trump has refused to sign off on similar international commendation because he fears it will disrupt his peace negotiations with Vladimir Putin.
The statement signed off by Nato leaders in the Hague was less than 10 per cent of the size of the communique from the previous year in Washington.
It was deliberately made short and sweet to focus on Donald Trump’s main concern of defence spending.
The communique contained just over 400 words compared to the over 5,000 in Washington.
