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NATO members are expected to present a strong vision of how allies will ensure lasting peace in Europe, including a clear, credible and irreversible marking of Ukraine’s path to NATO at the upcoming summit in Vilnius in July. This was emphasised by the Speaker of the Saeima Edvards Smiltēns on Friday, 2 June, in Vilnius, Lithuania, before the upcoming NATO summit, addressing his counterparts at the meeting of Speakers of Parliaments of the member states of the Alliance.

All allies must be aware that the collective defence of NATO countries against Russian imperialism is inextricably linked to Russia’s aggression in Ukraine and the future of Ukraine as an independent and strong Euro-Atlantic state, the Speaker of the Saeima said.

A clear vision for Ukraine’s future in the NATO Alliance, together with long-term military support, would convincingly reflect our commitment to supporting Ukraine for as long as necessary. Putin must be aware that he has no grounds to expect that our support to Ukraine could run out. Russia must lose on the battlefield and take full responsibility for the crimes committed. At the same time, it must lose its imaginary right to determine the future of Ukraine, emphasised the Speaker of the Saeima.

Parliaments should lead the way in democratic societies. Often our parliaments are the ones who initiate a wider debate on the best direction of action and broaden the boundaries of opportunities both at national level and more widely, noted the Speaker of the Saeima. One of these cases is the declarations adopted by the Lithuanian, Polish, Estonian and Latvian Parliaments, which support Ukraine’s participation in NATO, thus stating that it is the best guarantee of Ukraine’s security, as well as a guarantee of peace and security for Europe, noted E.Smiltēns.

Parliamentary Speakers in Vilnius were also addressed by Ruslan Stefanchuk, Chairman of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine, expressing gratitude to the Saeima for the declaration adopted yesterday, in which the Latvian Parliament calls on allies to take a decision to invite Ukraine to participate in the Alliance.

E.Smiltēns urged the members of the Alliance to strengthen the already existing NATO-Ukraine cooperation format, building on the existing Finnish-Swedish relations with the Alliance, while military support should help build Ukraine’s defence capabilities in the long term. The Speaker of the Saeima also stressed the need to develop a reconstruction programme for Ukraine, which would make it economically strong and independent from foreign support as soon as possible.

I am convinced that our common vision of a strong, independent and fully integrated Ukraine in the Euro-Atlantic area brings the potential of a politically and economically integrated, free, prosperous and peaceful Europe, said E.Smiltēns.

The Speaker of the Saeima is accompanied by  Rihards Kols, Chair of the Foreign Affairs Committee of the Saeima, who expressed hope that the Vilnius Summit would bring not only support to Ukraine in the form of statements, but also tangible outcomes. “During the Vilnius Summit, we also have to discuss a new defence plan for NATO’s Baltic region, in light of the recent accession of Finland and eventually also Sweden,” emphasised R.Kols.

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Saeima Press Service