Albanese accepts invitation to NATO summit

Anthony Albanese will attend the NATO summit in Lithuania, ­despite earlier suggestions he might decline the invitation to the July 11-12 meeting.

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese will attend the July NATO summit in Lithuania. Picture: Chris Kidd

Anthony Albanese will attend the NATO summit in Lithuania, ­despite earlier suggestions he might decline the invitation to the July 11-12 meeting.

The Prime Minister will attend the summit as a key Asia-Pacific partner to the world’s most powerful military alliance.

The decision comes amid signs of ­European reluctance to take a firm stand against China’s growing assertiveness and its disregard for international norms.

“Australia shares with NATO members a commitment to supporting democracy, peace, and ­security and upholding the rule of law,” Mr Albanese’s spokes­woman said.

“The Prime Minister’s attendance at this year’s NATO leaders’ summit will be an important ­opportunity to reinforce Australia’s support for these global norms, demonstrate solidarity in ­response to Russia’s illegal and immoral invasion of Ukraine, and advocate for Australia’s economic, climate and trade agenda.” The Australian revealed Mr Albanese had been invited to the summit in Vilnius, but the government had hedged on whether he would attend.

The Prime Minister attended last year’s NATO summit in Madrid with his Japanese, South Korean and New Zealand counterparts, collectively known as the “Asia-Pacific Four”.

It’s unclear yet whether the other AP4 members will attend this year’s summit.

The invitation came as French President Emmanuel Macron alarmed US allies in the Indo-­Pacific by declaring Europe should not follow the US into a conflict with Beijing over Taiwan.

It follows heightened lobbying by Ukraine for more military support, including from the Albanese government, to enable its planned counteroffensive.

Australia has fallen from its past position as the largest non-NATO donor to Ukraine’s war ­effort, with the under-siege country now pleading for the Albanese government to provide tanks and advanced Hawkei armoured ­vehicles for its defence.

Mr Albanese told NATO leaders at last year’s summit that “by supporting peace and sovereignty in Europe, we are underscoring our iron-clad commit­ment to these norms in our own region, the Indo-Pacific”.

The meeting was a key one for Mr Albanese, with NATO members agreeing at the summit to view China as a “strategic threat”.

The US was due to host a meeting of NATO members in Germany on Friday to discuss further support for Ukraine.