Expert Calls NATO Summit Results a 'Quiet Victory for Ukraine'

In the final declaration of the NATO summit in The Hague, a decision was made to increase the defence spending of Alliance members to 5% of GDP. This will serve as a kind of safety cushion against the long-term threat from Russia. Part of the funds will go to support Kyiv. This outcome is a quiet victory for Ukraine, according to Lyudmila Pokrovshchuk, PhD, an expert on foreign and domestic policy.

The Gaze reports on this with reference to FREEDOM TV channel.

"This is a quiet victory for Ukraine. And, as Foreign Minister Andrij Sybiha correctly noted, now we need to take action, get to work, implement the roadmap. Of course, a lot will depend on Ukraine and its work with its Alliance partners. The legal basis has been adopted, on the basis of which we can develop certain bilateral relations, a roadmap for the flow of these funds into our military-industrial complex, into defence. All this will now be actively developed," the spokesperson said.

In her opinion, the results of this summit could not have been different. This is the first summit for the new Secretary General of the Alliance, Mark Rutte, and it was important for him that the members of the bloc demonstrate their unity.

"We saw how Rutte worked hard before the summit. The events were preceded by months of hard work to ensure that the adoption of certain wording and the summit itself went smoothly. Given the events of 2018, when everyone left in scandal and the summit ended early, Rutte understood that this could not be allowed to happen again. Now it was important to demonstrate what the Alliance would be like in the future. Not only the allies, but also other leaders of all countries were watching this summit to see how the Western bloc would continue to cooperate and how the Alliance would develop. Therefore, we can say that Mark Rutte showed remarkable diplomatic flexibility and ensured that this summit went exactly as planned," said the guest on the programme.

The summit's final declaration contains five points. But they are very important, Pokrovshchuk believes, because they are, so to speak, the foundation of the Alliance's future.

"Today, Alliance members view their security differently. NATO has returned to its original vision, the mission with which the bloc was created. Initially, this confrontation was with the Soviet Union, but now it is with the Russian Federation. Therefore, all these challenges coming from the Russian Federation are a long-term threat," explained Lyudmila Pokrovshchuk.

She also recalled that there is already an exception to the rules for Spain. This country will not allocate 5% of its GDP to defence for the time being.

“A lenient decision was made regarding Spain. We also know that Brussels has already stated that it would like to see some leniency from the Alliance. But that will come later. After the summit, everyone will begin to assess their capabilities. And here, of course, Rutte will play a very important role in how he will be able to reformat NATO, not just declaratively, but in practice. Because in the state the bloc was in before, it cannot ensure security and counter the challenges facing the Alliance members. Therefore, Rutte and his team have a lot of work to do," the expert said.

According to her, the decisions taken are no longer just on paper. Europe will indeed take on more responsibility in the security sector, as US President Donald Trump said. After all, America's presence on the European continent will be limited, as became clear at the summit in The Hague.

"This has already been announced at closed meetings. We already know from some insiders that it was previously stated that Europe would have to defend itself almost entirely on its own. The United States would provide assistance. But everyone still had questions about whether America would actually implement Article 5 of the NATO Charter if something happened. That is why, I think, they agreed to this 5% increase in spending, to have a safety cushion, understanding that Russia may not stop at Ukraine," the guest said.

She also believes that it is not only about Russia, it can act through its other proxies, through other countries that are currently helping it in the war against Ukraine.

"Today, the members of the Alliance understand this very well. And they are also well aware that Ukraine is currently the driving force in the military-industrial complex and innovation. This wording is really very important for us. We are now independent of the elections taking place in various European countries and the political statements of various countries. We do not depend on Orbán (Prime Minister of Hungary, ed.), who may or may not want something from Ukraine. But this has already been agreed by all countries — targeted spending on the Alliance's defence will go, in particular, to help Ukraine," Pokrovshchuk emphasised.

Now Ukraine does not depend entirely on the political views of certain country leaders. And this, the speaker is sure, is the most important point in the results of the NATO summit.

“Ukraine has secured a formulation that gives it independence in the defence sector. And not just independence, but also the development of its defence industry, which is our security. We understand perfectly well that funding will not stop tomorrow, that tomorrow, even if the political power in the country changes, it will not affect the assistance to Ukraine. There is a lot of work ahead of us because, based on this declaration, we have to develop a lot of documents to put this wording into action. This is our most important task after the summit today," Lyudmila Pokrovshchuk summed up.

As a reminder, the two-day summit of NATO leaders in The Hague ended on 25 June. Following the meeting, NATO countries intend to increase defence spending to 5% of GDP by 2035, including aid to Ukraine. The summit's final declaration confirmed unwavering support for Kyiv, recognised Russia as a continuing threat to the Alliance's security, and confirmed Ukraine's irreversible course towards NATO membership. A meeting between US President Donald Trump and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy also took place on the sidelines of the summit.

Read more: NATO Summit 2025: Will the Alliance Stand with Ukraine?