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It's far from "business as usual" today in Vilnius, Lithuania, as the 2023 NATO Summit kicks off in this capital city that sits just 366 miles from another European capital continually in the news—Kyiv, Ukraine—a country where a war rages that will be the dominant subject of this critical conference.
As a security precaution for the Summit, all roads in the Old Town district, along with several main thoroughfares in the modern downtown, are closed to automobile traffic. Despite the influx of an estimated 5,000 foreign dignitaries, staffers, security and journalists to a city with a population of just under 600,000, life in Vilnius remains calm.
"We put all of our efforts into preparing the city, into creating the proper atmosphere while also ensuring that the necessary amount of security is provided," Vilnius Mayor Valdas Benkunskas told Newsweek. "Our goal is that when our guests leave Vilnius, they do so with positive emotions."
Local officials understand the opportunity that hosting the summit offers to the capital of a country of only 2.8 million people.
"This is the biggest event the city has ever hosted," Adomas Buzinskas, the CEO of city administration in Vilnius, told Newsweek. "For two days, at least, we will be at the center of attention for the whole world, and we want to send the message that Vilnius is not only a safe place to live in and do business in, but it's also perfect for hosting international events."
Like Ukraine, Lithuania shares a border with Russia, and Vilnius is located just 20 miles from its border with Russian ally Belarus. But it is far more secure than Kyiv, which sits 360 miles from its border with Belarus. That is due to one simple fact: Lithuania is a member of NATO, a status it achieved in 2004 in a wave of expansion that also included Bulgaria, Estonia, Latvia, Romania, Slovakia, and Slovenia. And that membership status is something Ukraine is aggressively pursuing at this Summit.
Despite its small size, Lithuania is a major contributor to Ukraine's war effort. According to Statista, between January 24, 2022 ( a month before the Russian invasion of Ukraine) and February 24, 2023, Lithuania has been the world's number three contributor in terms of aid to Ukraine as a percentage of GDP at 0.93 percent, trailing only its Baltic neighbors Latvia (1.1 percent) and Estonia (1.24 percent). The U.S. is 10th at 0.37 percent, trailing, among others, Norway, Netherlands, and the United Kingdom.
The support is visible on the streets of Vilnius, where Ukraine's blue-and-yellow national flag is, if anything, displayed even more prominently than the yellow-green-red Lithuanian tricolor or the NATO and EU banners.
"You see a lot of Ukrainian flags, and a lot of messaging that it's time for NATO to act more decisively to help Ukraine," said Buzinskas, who in addition to his duties at the mayor's office serves as a reserve soldier in the Lithuanian Armed Forces.
"If Lithuania had not become a member of NATO," he added. "I am almost certain that we would be fighting by now, too."
