Brussels, 5 June 2025 (MIA) – The NATO Summit in the Hague, support for Ukraine and reinforcing deterrence and defence will be the focal point of Thursday’s meeting of NATO defence ministers in Brussels, which will be also attended by Macedonian minister Vlado Misajlovski.

The meeting will kick of with a North Atlantic Council session in which the ministers will discuss preparations ahead of the Hague summit, due on June 24-26, and defence spending. They are also expected to reach key decisions on improving NATO’s deterrence and defence, it has been announced. 

NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte announced yesterday that NATO members are to agree on new defence capability targets at Thursday’s meeting.

"These targets set out what forces and concrete capabilities the allies need to provide to strengthen our deterrence and defence," Rutte said.

"Air and missile defence, long-range weapons, logistics, large land manoeuvre formations are among our top priorities," he added.

"We need more resources, forces and capabilities so that we are prepared to face any threat and to implement our collective defence plans in full."

Ahead of the meeting, sources from the U.S. Mission to NATO at a briefing said that in terms of defence spending, the 5-percent GDP target will become a commitment of the member countries, not only a pledge.

They added that every ally should commit to investing at least 5 percent of the GDP in the defence sector starting now, noting it isn’t a suggestion, but a foundation for deterrence in a world seeing rising threats.

An informal session of the NATO-Ukraine Council will take place as part of the meeting. At a working lunch, the ministers will discuss the Alliance’s continuing support for Kiev and the urgent need for reaching peace. 

The NATO Nuclear Planning Group will also hold a meeting. According to Rutte, the fundamental goal of the Alliance’s nuclear capacity is to preserve peace, prevent pressure and fend off aggression. 

In addition to the NATO defence ministers, their Ukrainian counterpart Rustem Umerov will also take part in the meeting in addition to Kaja Kallas, the EU’s High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy. 

Ahead of today’s meeting, the Ukraine Defense Contact Group held a meeting, chaired by UK Defense Secretary John Healey and German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius.

The Ukraine Defense Contact Group, also known as the Ramstein group, is an alliance of 57 countries - all 32 member states of NATO and 25 other countries - and the European Union, supporting the defence of Ukraine by sending military equipment.

MIA file photo