NATO Summit: Extraordinary Security Measures in Vilnius

The Lithuanian capital has been turned into a real fortress because of the two-day meeting between leaders of the NATO countries starting on Tuesday. Vilnius is located just 30 kilometers from Lithuania's border with Belarus and less than 200 kilometers from Russia.

16 allied countries contributed a total of about a thousand military personnel and advanced air defense systems to guard the Summit. Eight German "Patriot" installations are located at the airport in Vilnius.

In addition to military equipment, means to deal with possible chemical, biological, radiological and nuclear attacks have also been sent.

At the forum in the Lithuanian capital, the allies are expected to reaffirm their support for Ukraine, outline clear parameters on the path to Kyiv's NATO membership, adopt new regional plans for the Alliance's defense and announce more defense investments. Bulgarian Prime Minister Academician Nikolay Denkov will lead the Bulgarian delegation at the meeting in Vilnius.

Kyiv is hoping for a clear signal from NATO that Ukraine will be part of the Alliance - such are the expectations from the meeting in Vilnius of the President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky, who is also expected to be in the Lithuanian capital. Before the key meeting, NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg announced that in Vilnius the allies will agree on a package of measures to help Ukraine, which will bring Kyiv closer to NATO. The package includes three items:

"First, we will approve a multi-year aid program to ensure full interoperability between the Ukrainian armed forces and NATO. Second, we will improve our political ties by establishing a NATO-Ukraine Council. And third, I expect the Allies to reaffirm that Ukraine will become a member of NATO and unite around how to bring Kyiv closer to this goal. The alliance is also ready to provide 500 million euros for critical needs such as fuel, medical supplies, demining equipment."

At the meeting in Lithuania, the allies are expected to approve new regional defense plans. With them, the defense of the Alliance will be strengthened in order to deal with two main threats - Russia and terrorism. A Northern plan is planned for the protection of the Atlantic Ocean and the Arctic, a central plan for the Baltic region and Central Europe, as well as a Southern plan aimed at the Mediterranean and the Black Sea region. In Vilnius, the leaders are expected to agree on more investment in defense - each country of the Alliance to devote a minimum of 2 percent of its Gross Domestic Product to military spending.

Bulgaria will be represented at the NATO summit by Prime Minister Nikolay Denkov. The Prime Minister's delegation includes the Minister of Defense Todor Tagarev, the Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Tihomir Stoychev and the Chief of Defense Admiral Emil Eftimov.

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