The leaders of the nine Eastern NATO member countries are preparing for the summit meeting of the defense alliance in Riga, which will be held next month in Washington.
President of Ukraine Tamas Sulyok and the President of Slovakia Zuzana Caputova have missed the NATO B9 group meeting in Riga, where preparations are being made for the July summit of the defense alliance.
The B9 group includes countries on the eastern side of NATO, including Finland and Sweden as new member countries.
Hungary is represented at the meeting by the country’s Latvian ambassador.
Due to the absences, the meeting will not issue a joint final resolution for the first time since the group was founded in 2015. The final resolution will be issued in the name of the meeting’s hosts, i.e. the presidents of Latvia, Romania and Poland.
The behavior of Hungary and Slovakia underscores the dividing line between NATO member states in relation to Russia and support for Ukraine.
– The most important thing is that we have a coordinated line at the summit in terms of supporting Ukraine and strengthening the military capability of the defense alliance, said the president of Latvia Edgars Rinkevics.
Finland is represented at the meeting by the President of the Republic Alexander Stubb. To the Reuters news agency, Stubb assured the military alliance of its unanimity in supporting Ukraine against Russia.
– Our unanimity and determination in supporting Ukraine should not be underestimated, Stubb said.
The NATO Secretary General will also participate in the meeting Jens Stoltenberg. He did not want to comment to Reuters on the absence of the presidents of Hungary and Slovakia.
Reuters