Concerns have recently grown in Europe that Washington's interest in withdrawing some of its troops from Europe could leave gaps in defense. After the Eastern Flank meeting in Gdańsk Wednesday, the Polish prime minister and the Lithuanian president said that even in difficult times, Europe must work to keep relations with the United States strong.

"This is the position we will state in Ankara at the NATO summit. None of us doubts that America's presence and cooperation with the United States is good for Europe and for the security of our countries," Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk said.

"The strong presence of the United States in Europe is irreplaceable. We must work together to convince Washington that a strong US posture on the Eastern Flank is the foundation of NATO's resilience," Lithuanian President Gitanas Nausėda said.

The leaders emphasized that Eastern Flank countries have significantly increased defense spending because of the threat from Russia.

"Poland holds the record. We spend 6.9–7 percent of our GDP on defense and defense‑related areas. This is a very substantial share," Tusk said.

Latvian Prime Minister Andris Kulbergs urged the rest of Europe to follow that example.

"We are defending all of Europe at our border. This should matter to all of Europe, not only to the Eastern Flank," Kulbergs said.

Although these messages have been voiced before, the Estonian prime minister said like‑minded countries must stand together.

"There are certainly countries in Europe — and even some represented on this stage — that believe Europe should negotiate with Putin on security matters. That is definitely not the case, and that is why we must coordinate how we set our positions and actions. The other point is to keep Europe's strategy on track, because Eastern Flank countries are the ones with their own skin in the game," Estonian Prime Minister Kristen Michal said.

A joint declaration from the leaders of the Eastern Flank asserts that Russia's hostile policies and the ongoing war of aggression in Ukraine have fundamentally altered the security landscape. The declaration identifies Russia as the "most significant, direct, and long-term threat" to regional stability.

"Ahead of the NATO Summit in Ankara, we reaffirm our commitment to reaching the target of allocating 5 percent of GDP to defence spending," the document says. The leaders also emphasize the urgency of reinforcing drone and counter-drone systems, resilience and protection of critical infrastructure measures and defense capabilities including situational awareness.

The joint declaration asserts the strategic importance of the Eastern Flank Watch project for the security and defense interests of the whole European Union.

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