You are here

Pevkur in the Netherlands: Allies must increase defence spending ahead of The Hague Summit

15. January 2025 - 17:17

Today, during a joint seminar of the three Baltic states and the Netherlands held in The Hague, the defence ministers discussed NATO’s forward defence concept, preparations for the upcoming summit in The Hague, the Russian threat, and topics related to the Baltic Defence Line. Following the seminar, a meeting was held between the defence ministers of the three Baltic states and the Netherlands.

“The contributions of the Netherlands to European security and assistance to Ukraine in recent years have been significant and tangible. For example, their F-35 fighters are currently defending Baltic airspace from Ämari. We share a common understanding of the Russian threat, which, in turn, means that we see eye to eye on the need for capability development as we prepare for the next NATO Summit in The Hague,” said Minister of Defence Hanno Pevkur, who participated in the meeting.

“In all discussions, we ultimately reach the conclusion that both to defend ourselves and to support Ukraine, allies need to increase their defence spending. At The Hague Summit, one of the main topics will undoubtedly be raising defence expenditures to a more ambitious level. The Baltic states have already raised their spending, and now we must work together to make this understanding clearer among all allies,” Minister of Defence Hanno Pevkur added.

The seminar of the three Baltic states and the Netherlands was organized by The Hague Centre for Strategic Studies in cooperation with the embassies of the Baltic states. Participants included Estonian Minister of Defence Hanno Pevkur, Latvian Minister of Defence Andris Sprūds, Lithuanian Minister of Defence Dovilė Šakalienė, and Dutch Minister of Defence Ruben Brekelmans.

Additional information: [email protected]

Photos: Kolme Balti riigi ja Hollandi kaitseministrite kohtumine H… | Flickr