New Indo-Pacific partnerships key focus of NATO summit says senior US official | DW News

Douglas Jones, the Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for European and Eurasian Affairs, told DW’s Bureau Chief Ines Pohl in an interview that the cooperation with Indo-Pacific partners will be a significant focus of the summit. NATO aims to address the common challenges faced by its partners around the world, including those in the Indo-Pacific region. The ongoing conflict in Ukraine was highlighted as a direct threat to alliance security, with support from China and North Korea impacting security in both Europe and the Indo-Pacific.

Regarding Ukraine's aspirations for NATO membership, Jones stated that the summit will send a strong signal of support for Ukraine in its fight against Russian aggression. Concrete decisions will be made to provide assistance and accelerate Ukraine's reform progress, ultimately paving the way for its eventual membership into the Alliance.

Jones acknowledged that Russia poses the most significant and direct threat to allied security, and NATO has taken steps to address this. The Alliance has increased its deterrence and defense capabilities, with more allies meeting their commitment to spend 2% of GDP on defense.

Finally, there were concerns about the potential re-election of Donald Trump and the possibility of the United States withdrawing from NATO. Jones refrained from commenting on politics but emphasized that NATO is stronger, more united, and more important than ever before for Euro-Atlantic security.