German Chancellor Friedrich Merz has warned that Russian President Vladimir Putin only understands the language of force and that the "historic" NATO summit, which begins Tuesday in The Hague, aims to guarantee peace in Europe for future generations.
Merz told the German parliament hours before the summit that Putin remains determined that Ukraine should be part of Russia.
He has pledged that Berlin will pay "its fair share" to defend Europe.
US President Donald Trump is on his way to The Hague to attend the first NATO summit since 2019, where leaders are expected to pledge to spend 3.5 percent of gross domestic product on defense and an additional 1.5 percent on related infrastructure.
Before the summit began, NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte told European colleagues not to worry about American commitment to the Western alliance and to focus on investing in defense and supporting Ukraine.
He has insisted that the American president and senior leadership are "fully committed" to NATO.
Rutte said that Europe and Canada have already pledged to allocate over $35 billion in aid to Ukraine this year.
Ten people were killed in Russian attacks in Ukraine on Tuesday, while the German chancellor said every attempt to bring Russia to the negotiating table had been unsuccessful.
Rocket attacks on the eastern city of Dnipro and the nearby town of Samar have killed 11 people and wounded 150 others, according to regional chief Serhiy Lysak.
A number of children were injured in the attack in Dnipro, after a rocket damaged a kindergarten and a passenger train.
Another rocket attack in Sumy has killed three people, including a child.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has arrived in The Hague and is expected to meet with US President Donald Trump on the sidelines of the NATO summit.
This will be their first meeting since the one held in April at the Vatican, on the day of Pope Francis' funeral./ REL (A2 Televizion)
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