The most expensive NATO summit in history has begun in The Hague: results of the first day and statements by Volodymyr Zelensky
On Tuesday, June 24, 2025, a two-day NATO summit began in the capital of the Netherlands, The Hague, which brought together the leaders of all 32 member states of the North Atlantic Alliance, as well as partners. The main topic of this year’s meeting was global security challenges and the need to strengthen the defense capabilities of the participating countries.
According to the calculations of the Dutch publication AD, the NATO summit in The Hague will be the most expensive in the entire history of the Alliance: the estimated cost of its holding reaches more than 1 million euros per minute. Such conclusions appeared after the publication of the official program of the event, from which it follows that the total duration of the summit will be less than one day. Based on the fact that the total costs are estimated at 183.4 million euros, and the actual time spent by world leaders at official events is limited, the cost of each minute of the meeting exceeds a million euros.
The first day of the summit started from the Public Forum, during which NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte spoke. He emphasized the symbolism of the fact that the event is taking place in The Hague, his hometown. Rutte outlined the priorities of the meeting, in particular he emphasized the need to increase the defense spending of the member states of the Alliance. According to him, without a significant increase in funding, it is impossible to guarantee effective collective defense in the face of a growing threat.
As part of the program of the first day of the summit, a plenary meeting of the Defense Industry Forum was held. One of the speakers of this event was the President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyi. In his speech, he called on international partners to invest in the Ukrainian military-industrial complex, in particular in the production of drones. Zelenskyi emphasized that Ukraine aims to produce 8 million drones per year, but to implement this plan, it is necessary to ensure stable financing.
President of Ukraine reported:
“Addressing the Senate and House of Representatives of the Dutch Parliament, he said that the main target of Russian attacks is life itself – each of them demonstrates the true nature of Putin’s war. He did the same in Chechnya, he did the same in Syria. And now in Ukraine. His propagandists openly threaten other countries. Both our intelligence and intelligence in Europe believe that Russia is planning hostile and potentially destructive operations on NATO territory.”
After speaking at the forum, Zelenskyi met with NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte, President of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen and President of the European Council Antonio Costa. During the joint briefing, the parties discussed further steps in the field of strategic support to Ukraine. The leaders confirmed the commitment of partners to provide assistance in the amount of 35 billion euros. The issue of Ukraine’s integration into NATO was also discussed separately.
“We have focused on cooperation within the framework of the new defense instrument SAFE and the negotiation process for our accession to the EU. It is important that the leaders of the member states reach a joint decision to open the first cluster. It is not fair when one person blocks the decision of the Union.
Additional sanctions against the Russian Federation and the preparation of the 18th EU sanctions package were also discussed in detail. It is important that this package significantly increases the pressure on the Russian energy and banking sectors, and the shadow fleet. The key to this is that there should be a strong price range for Russian oil, and we are counting on appropriate decisions.” – stated Volodymyr Zelenskyi.
The President of Ukraine also held talks with the Prime Minister of the Netherlands. During the conversation, Zelensky once again emphasized the need for the development of joint production of drones and the activation of investments in high-tech defense areas. According to him, Ukraine will be able to resist aggression from Russia only by increasing its own defense potential.
In addition, Volodymyr Zelenskyy announced that he held a meeting with French President Emmanuel Macron to coordinate further joint actions and discuss diplomatic efforts aimed at increasing pressure on Russia. At the center of the conversation was the possibility of strengthening the aviation component by transferring additional Mirage fighters, as well as the prospects of joint production and investment in interceptor drones.
“Together with France, we are working to protect the Ukrainian sky even more effectively. We expect concrete positive results in the near future. Particular attention was paid to the development of the coalition of partner countries, expectations from the NATO summit and the need to introduce tougher sanctions against Russia. A special emphasis is placed on the mechanisms of price restrictions on Russian oil and gas, which are capable of inflicting a tangible blow on the aggressor’s financial system.” – emphasized President of Ukraine.
The first day was an important political event message that Ukraine’s course for membership in NATO will be established in the project of the final communique of the summit. This once again proves the readiness of the Alliance to support Ukraine not only in the military dimension, but also in a strategic context — as a future full member. It is expected that during the second day of the summit, further coordination of specific mechanisms for Ukraine’s rapprochement with NATO will take place.
In addition to the working part, a number of ceremonial events were held on the first day of the summit. In the evening, there was a social dinner organized by King Willem-Alexander and Queen Maxima of the Netherlands for the participants of the meeting.
It is expected that the President of the United States, Donald Trump, will arrive in The Hague. He will have a personal meeting with Volodymyr Zelensky tomorrow. Negotiations between the Ukrainian and American leaders may become a key moment in the issue of further financing of Ukraine’s defense and the unblocking of some difficult geopolitical positions.
