NATO PA adopted the Declaration: ‘Russia remains a direct, strategic, and long-term threat to Euro-Atlantic security’

Press release, 1 June 2026 (News ● Photos● Broadcasts and videos)

At the Spring Session of the NATO Parliamentary Assembly (NATO PA), held in the buildings of the Seimas, the NATO PA adopted its final Declaration entitled Supporting a quantum leap in deterrence and defence: a parliamentary agenda for a stronger NATO.

At the Session, Juozas Olekas, Speaker of the Seimas, stated that a unified perception among all Alliance members regarding the security situation, the threat, and the importance of deterrence, along with the necessary political decisions, is a critical element of the current security environment. ‘It is obvious that Europe must take on greater responsibility for its own security and become a militarily strong and equal partner. At the same time, European defence must strengthen NATO, not duplicate it. NATO remains the backbone of our security. Maintaining the US military presence in Europe is of critical importance, especially on NATO’s Eastern flank,’ Mr Olekas said.

Gitanas Nausėda, President of the Republic of Lithuania, underlined that renewed calls for engagement with Moscow do not reflect Europe’s security needs. ‘Failing to set clear conditions and build credible deterrence would be more likely to embolden the aggressor than moderate its behaviour. The only way forward for the Allies is through a combination of military strength, deterrence, resilience, and sustained support for Ukraine,’ Mr Nausėda said. He added that the new NATO Integrated Air and Missile Defence Plan should become one of the key deliverables of the Ankara Summit.

In her address to the NATO PA, Inga Ruginienė, Prime Minister of the Republic of Lithuania, called for continued investment not only in defence capabilities, but also in the resilience of our societies, the unity of our democracies, and the confidence of our citizens. 

Marcos Perestrello, President of the NATO PA, singled out four clear priorities, namely, increased investment in strengthening defence and military capabilities, building a stronger Europe in a stronger NATO and fairer burden-sharing, strengthening resilience within our societies, and sustaining support for Ukraine.

‘Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine continues, alongside its reckless behaviour and destabilisation campaigns across the Alliance. We have seen this most starkly in recent drone incursions in Lithuania and, just a few days ago, in Romania,’ Mr Perestrello said at the Spring Session. ‘These incidents are a direct consequence of Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine. Whether caused by deliberate violation, reckless military activity near Allied borders, or the spillover effects of Russian actions, the responsibility lies with Russia,’ Mr Perestrello said. He stressed that our response must be unequivocal: strong solidarity, an ironclad commitment to collective defence, and the continued strengthening of NATO’s deterrence and defence posture — particularly along the eastern flank.

The Declaration adopted by the NATO PA underlines that Russia remains a direct, strategic, and long-term threat to Euro-Atlantic security. ‘Terrorism is the most direct asymmetric threat to Allies. Cyberattacks, sabotage, economic coercion, and other hybrid tactics target Allied societies every day. The growing alignment among Russia, China, Iran and North Korea challenges our security and intensifies strategic competition, from the North Atlantic to the Black Sea and from the Arctic to the Strait of Hormuz,’ the Declaration states.

The NATO PA noted the need to strengthen the defence and technological industrial base on both sides of the Atlantic to outperform those who seek to undermine our security. Accordingly, a strong, sovereign and independent Ukraine is vital to the stability of the Euro-Atlantic area.

‘The Summit must further operationalise the commitment to invest 5 % of GDP annually in defence and security-related requirements with urgency, through credible national plans supported by relevant legislative frameworks. Our countries should make all possible efforts to accelerate delivery timelines well before 2035,’ the Declaration reads.

The Assembly will continue to focus on resilience as a key enabler of collective defence. The NATO PA intends to redouble investment in parliamentary diplomacy to build strategic convergence among Allies, strengthen the transatlantic bond, promote trust, and foster cooperation.

The Committee hearings and the Plenary Session are streamed live on the Seimas website and YouTube channelAtviras Seimas (Open Seimas). Photos from all the events are published on the Seimas Flickr account and are free for use, provided they bear the following indication of the source: Photo by Olga Posaškova, Viktorija Chorna, Ūla Liškevičiūtė, or Lina Žižliauskaitė.

More information on the Spring Session of the NATO PA can be found HERE.