Nato summit a response to threats posed by Russia says president

The Nato summit, being held in Madrid, is a response to the threats posed by Russia and aims to strengthen the security of its members, Andrzej Duda, the president of Poland, said on Thursday.

Duda is attending the summit being held in Spain's capital city where, on Wednesday, Nato leaders approved a new Strategic Concept for the Alliance, which describes the security environment facing the Alliance, reaffirms it values, and spells out Nato's key purpose of ensuring its collective defence. The document also defines Russia as the "most significant and direct threat" to Allies' security.

Duda said that two sentences were added to the declaration of the Nato leaders at the "last minute" which were of particular importance to Poland. As he explained, the sentences concerned a provision according to which countries most involved in helping Ukraine would be given special treatment.

He also expressed hope that the member states would ratify the decision to give Sweden and Finland Nato membership as quickly as possible. "This would be a significant strengthening of Nato and be especially beneficial for our part of Europe," Duda pointed out.

According to Polish president, on the last day of the summit, Nato would focus on threats from the south and "everything that can be generated by the crisis that the Russian aggression in Ukraine is leading to," including "a potential food crisis that may affect North Africa."

There is also the possibility that "another migration wave to Europe may occur and that terrorist threats may appear," he said.