Shortly after the NATO summit in The Hague, Ukraine faced one of the largest Russian airstrikes targeting Kyiv — a brutal reminder of the ongoing war and the urgent need for strengthened defenses.
In this context, President Volodymyr Zelensky held a significant and constructive conversation with President Trump about the latest frontline developments, including Russian missile terror and opportunities for enhanced air defense. They agreed to work jointly on strengthening Ukraine’s skies and defense industrial cooperation, especially in drones and critical technologies. Trump was well-informed and attentive, and both sides reaffirmed their commitment to a just and lasting peace.
Every NATO summit is a vital indicator for Ukraine of how well the alliance is able to adapt to new challenges and continue to serve as the most effective security guarantee for European countries. It is also an indicator of how much NATO member states perceive Ukraine as “one of their own” and understand that, just as the alliance invests in Ukraine’s security and defense, we invest in Euro-Atlantic security and defense. In essence, this is a mutual investment in Euro-Atlantic security.
Traditionally, every alliance summit is also an indicator of NATO’s willingness to heed Russia’s fabricated concerns over the alliance's enlargement policy.
Expectations for the NATO summit in The Hague were modest — both within member states and among partner countries like Ukraine. Yet it injected new energy into transatlantic relations. It reinvigorated the alliance, evincing the complete failure of Russia’s plans to dismantle NATO from within. Much of this success is due to Secretary General Mark Rutte’s ability to find common ground with diverse leaders and act as a reliable bridge between Europe and the U.S. Rutte has emerged as the unifying figure the alliance needed at this critical juncture.
As a result, the summit delivered clear answers to all the key questions. First, predictions by those who claimed the U.S. would withdraw from NATO almost immediately after Trump took office have proven premature. By clearly affirming America’s commitment to Article Five of the Washington Treaty, Trump confirmed the U.S. role as the leader of the alliance. Some may find his approach overly harsh, but desperate times call for desperate measures. The demand for Europe to take greater care of its own security is, above all, a matter of common sense.
Regardless of what skeptics say, Article Five remains functional. Neither the Soviet Union nor Russia has ever dared to test it, making claims of its ineffectiveness incorrect. What we can affirm is that the only time in NATO’s history that Article Five has been invoked was in response to the Sept. 11, 2001, attack on the U.S. — not in reaction to any Soviet or Russian assault on an alliance member.
Second, the goal of making NATO “stronger, fairer, and more lethal” through a commitment to increase defense spending to 5 percent is not just about getting European NATO members to take more responsibility for their own security. It also represents a long-awaited recognition of Ukraine as an integral part of Euro-Atlantic security. This is evident in the summit declaration, which embedded continued support for Ukraine into member states’ new defense target.
The step signals the beginning of a new security mindset within the alliance — a slow but growing realization that supporting Ukraine is not only a moral duty toward the victim of the most brutal aggression in Europe since World War II but also a vital security interest for the alliance’s member states, particularly in Europe.
Of course, embedding long-term support for Ukraine into the new defense spending plans of NATO countries did not remove our urgent defense needs from the agenda — especially regarding additional air defense systems. Here, it’s worth highlighting the very warm meeting between Presidents Zelensky and Trump. Although it focused on joint efforts for peace, the issue of protecting Ukrainian cities from Russia’s terrorist drone and missile strikes was underscored separately.
It is important to call things by their name. The prolonged drone terror against Ukrainians is primarily the result of close cooperation between Tehran and Moscow, established at the beginning of the large-scale war. As Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni rightly noted, the determination shown toward Iran must also be applied to Russia.
Third, Russia’s brazen and persistent efforts to convince the world that Ukraine’s NATO aspirations “forced” it to invade — and that once Ukraine abandons this goal, Russia will magically become constructive and reasonable — have once again failed. In NATO capitals, there is a growing understanding that Russia’s ultimate goal in its war against Ukraine is not to eliminate Ukraine’s NATO ambitions, but to destroy Ukraine as a state and nation and to restore the Russian empire in a new form. In other words, preventing Ukraine from joining NATO is not Putin’s final goal — it is merely a tool to achieve it.
Yes, there is still much work ahead to make this clear in every single capital, but we are undoubtedly on the right path. This is evidenced by the fact that NATO has not revised any of its previous positions on Ukraine’s future membership. Although these formulations were not repeated in the communiqué, perhaps we should begin interpreting this omission as NATO acknowledging the irreversibility of Ukraine’s Euro-Atlantic path — as a self-evident truth that no longer requires constant reiteration in every alliance statement.
Of course, the answers provided in The Hague are not final. NATO’s adaptation to the new Euro-Atlantic reality is ongoing. Despite the reaffirmed U.S. commitment to Article Five, Europe must assume greater responsibility, show more initiative, and truly begin to build up its defense capabilities. Doing this with Ukraine — whose armed forces are uniquely hardened by a modern war with Russia, along with its dynamic defense industry and technology — will make the process significantly easier and faster.
Even without being a NATO member and without the involvement of NATO troops, Ukraine has for a long time been independently implementing the NATO’s Strategic Concept of neutralizing Russia as the “most significant and direct threat” to allies’ security.
“You are among friends” — this phrase was used more than once in The Hague to welcome Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky. The results of the Hague summit are paving the way for a day when the Ukrainian president will be greeted with, “You are among allies.”
Andriy Yermak is head of the Office of the President of Ukraine and Alyona Getmanchuk is head of the Mission of Ukraine to NATO-designate.
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