"I am glad that this year's NATO Summit took place in Vilnius. The choice of Vilnius sends the right message to Russia in the context of strengthening the defence capabilities of the Alliance's eastern wing," said Minister Lipavský.

The choice of Vilnius sends the right message to Russia. I expect a strong commitment towards Ukraine

The Allied leaders met in the context of the ongoing war in Ukraine, with the outlook regarding the Ukrainian counter-offensive still open. The Allies confirmed that Ukraine has progressed on its way towards the membership in the Alliance. This happened during a historically first meeting of the newly created NATO-Ukraine Council with President Zelensky. The Allies have agreed on the need to continue and further extend the practical support to Ukraine to defend itself against the Russian aggression, and approved a multi-year plan for the support, recovery and modernization of the Ukrainian Armed Forces.

On the margins of the Summit, Minister Lipavsky participated at the informal meeting of ministers of foreign affairs of NATO members and Sweden together with their counterparts from Moldova, Georgia and Bosnia and Herzegovina, and the EU High Representative for Foreign and Security Policy. The meeting focused mainly on the continuing support of defense and security capacities of the partner countries with the aim of strengthening their resilience to Russian interference.

"I welcome the fact that EU High Representative for Foreign and Security Policy Josep Borrell will attend the meeting of the Alliance Foreign Ministers. The strategic unity of NATO and the EU is absolutely essential for maintaining peace and prosperity in the Euro-Atlantic region in the light of the ongoing Russian aggression against Ukraine," the Czech Foreign Minister said after the meeting.

Minister Lipavský called for full implementation of the promised support to the partner countries that are threatened by Russian aggressive activities and confirmed that Czechia is ready to continue contributing to these efforts. The Minister condemned the ongoing Russian destabilization activities towards Moldova and appreciated the Moldovan government for its ability to counter this enormous pressure. He also highlighted the importance of NATO – EU strategic unity and stressed the need for cooperation in their support to partners to ensure close coordination and complementarity of provided assistance.