On 3 July, at the invitation of the Federal Chancellor of Germany Friedrich Merz, President Edgars Rinkēvičs participated in a meeting of the leaders of the Baltic states and Germany in Berlin. Lithuania was represented by the President of Lithuania Gitanas Nausėda, and Estonia - by the Prime Minister of Estonia Kristen Michal. The primary purpose of the meeting was to coordinate and exchange views ahead of the upcoming NATO Summit in Ankara, Türkiye, on 7–8 July.
“We recognise that we are living in a highly uncertain world, but we are in agreement on almost all the issues that we expect to address at the Summit in Ankara. First, last year in The Hague we agreed that every Ally would contribute 5% of its gross domestic product in defence capabilities. We are now turning that commitment into actual capabilities. Second, it is important to reaffirm that, notwithstanding various ongoing discussions, the NATO Alliance remains united in fulfilling the commitments undertaken by each member state to strengthen collective defence. Third, we must continue our support for Ukraine and maintain a unified approach in responding to the hybrid threats posed by Russia and Belarus,” emphasized E. Rinkēvičs.
