Original source Visegrad Insight:
Our director Matej Kandrík is one of the experts who shared his opinion on what will be the outcome of the next NATO Summit happening in a few days.
Matej Kandrík:
The NATO Summit in Madrid will be historical – so we should expect historical decisions.
The most pressing issues are weapons supplies and other military help to Ukraine. Western military and humanitarian support is a strategic lifeline we must not allow to dry out.
Another pressing issue is how to strengthen and cement Allied military presence in the Eastern Flank in a strategic shift from enhanced Forward Presence as a tripwire force to forward deterrence posture. This would also mean that growing defence expenditure could hold a promise of some burden-sharing rebalancing. This should ease a long-term rift in transatlantic relations.
For the first time, the summit would be attended by NATO partners from the Pacific – Australia, New Zealand, Japan, and South Korea. This is a clear message that the idea of “Global NATO” will be built on partnerships and cooperation. Additionally, there is a question of Swedish and Finnish membership on the table. There will be great pressure on Turkey to unblock “Nordic enlargement,” while Ankara’s growing assertiveness will not be satisfied easily.
I expect the new NATO strategic concept will be more like a set of guiding principles rather than a detailed blueprint. COVID-19 pandemic, the invasion, and the ongoing war in Ukraine are all proof of how quickly, unexpectedly, and dramatically the world can change in a short time. Guiding principles are way more helpful for uncertain times than elaborate planning.