Russia will remain the greatest threat to Europe's security for the foreseeable future – Germany's foreign minister

German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock has stated during a debate in the Bundestag that Russia will remain the greatest threat to security and freedom in Europe in the future and urged NATO to continue supporting Ukraine.

"Russia will remain the greatest threat to our security and freedom in Europe for the foreseeable future," Baerbock said, as quoted by Tagesschau.

She added that the West must take action to defend freedom and democracy.

"We did not choose this. We did not want this. Germany has a special responsibility in this regard and has meanwhile regained lost trust due to its policy concerning Russia. We must not waste this in the budget negotiations," the minister warned, referring to the current dispute in the coalition over the 2025 budget.

The 75th anniversary NATO Summit will be held in Washington, DC, from 9 to 11 July.

On Wednesday, dozens of foreign policy experts urged NATO members not to advance Ukraine's membership issue at the Washington summit, arguing that, in their opinion, it would jeopardise the United States and its allies and could fracture the coalition.

On 3 July, NATO allies had reportedly agreed to provide €40 billion in military aid to Ukraine next year.

Recent media reports have also indicated that the creation of a new body to coordinate all types of long-term assistance to Ukraine, to be named NATO Security Assistance and Training for Ukraine (NSATU), will be announced at the 75th NATO Summit in Washington.

There are also ongoing discussions about the introduction of a special representative in Kyiv to oversee the international coordination of arms supplies and training for the Ukrainian Armed Forces under the auspices of NATO.