► There are three major issues on the Vilnius Summit agenda – new defence plans, spending commitments and Ukraine’s path to NATO membership – that are of vital importance for NATO’s ability to manage the Russian threat in the years and decades to come.

► As the summit takes place at the time of an epochal shift for not only European, but also international security, the significance of the Vilnius Summit extends well beyond Europe.

► The decisions to be taken at the Vilnius Summit will send signals to allies as well as adversaries regarding the capability and resolve of NATO to manage the Russian threat.