An emergency informal meeting of Eastern European leaders took place at the Jurata presidential residence on the Baltic coast. The initiator of the gathering was the President of Poland, Karol Nawrocki, who hosted the heads of Lithuania, Latvia, Estonia, and Romania. The main goal of the meeting was to coordinate actions ahead of the upcoming NATO summit in Turkey, although the agenda also addressed pressing issues of bilateral relations, in particular between Warsaw and Kyiv.
A united front before the summit in Ankara
Regional countries are striving to build a unified position ahead of the key event — the NATO summit, which will take place in Ankara from July 5–7. The leaders agreed that at the meeting in Turkey, they must speak with one voice, defending a common strategy for border defense. NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte has already stated that allies intend to significantly strengthen defense-industrial cooperation, which will be one of the central themes of the discussions.
Lithuania acts as a mediator in the conflict between Warsaw and Kyiv
Special attention at the meeting was paid to the tense relations between Poland and Ukraine. The President of Lithuania, Gitanas Nausėda, offered his help in resolving the disagreements, taking on the role of a mediator. According to the Lithuanian leader, he discussed this issue with his Polish colleague in an informal setting, emphasizing that a cooling of relations between strategic partners is unacceptable.
"The past matters, but the present is even more important, especially while the brutal war of Russia against Ukraine is ongoing," Gitanas Nausėda stated. He called for not allowing historical grievances to hinder modern security, reminding that Russian aggression remains the main threat to the entire region.
Conflict over orders and unit names
Tensions between Warsaw and Kyiv reached a peak due to several high-profile incidents. The situation escalated after outrage erupted in Poland regarding the name of one of the Ukrainian units, "named after the Heroes of the UPA". In response, President Nawrocki stripped Volodymyr Zelenskyy of the Order of the White Eagle.
In turn, the Ukrainian leader returned the award to Warsaw via the "Nova Poshta" delivery service. In Poland, this step was perceived as an additional insult, which only intensified the diplomatic crisis. Now, the Baltic states and Romania are trying to smooth things over to maintain unity in the face of common challenges.