The LMC brings together distinguished politicians, analysts, military personnel, media and academia from around the globe in Tallinn, Estonia. At the conference, participants discuss the most pressing foreign, security and defense policy issues, mostly from the perspective of the northern and eastern parts of Europe.

The theme of this year's conference – Fortune Favors the Brave – underscores the fundamental need for agency, will and confident action in shaping Europe's future. We know all too well that hope is not a strategy. However, courage without basis, action without thought, and enthusiasm without leadership is likely to produce failure. We will put particular emphasis on how to better prepare – our capabilities, societies, industries – to face the changing realities of the world around us.

Friday, May 15

17.00–17.05 Welcome note by Kristi Raik, Director of the ICDS

17.05–18.20 A Bridge Over Troubled Water: The Next Chapter of Transatlantic Cooperation

NATO has long been central to international security—now, it is being tested by diverging strategic priorities and intensifying global competition. As the US recalibrates its role in Europe and beyond, Russia's war against Ukraine and China's strategic ambitions add new layers of pressure. The resilience of the Alliance will depend on its ability to navigate political friction, harness technological change, and respond collectively to the defining threats of the 21st century. How can we adapt to remain effective and relevant? How can we strengthen the European pillar of NATO while maintaining political cohesion and credible deterrence? What are our transatlantic expectations, and how can we translate them into action?

Speakers:

Thomas DiNanno, Under Secretary for Arms Control and International Security at the US Department of State
Kristen Michal, Prime Minister of Estonia
Jana Puglierin, Senior Policy Fellow at European Council on Foreign Relations
Edi Rama, Prime Minister of Albania
Ambassador Boris Ruge, Assistant Secretary General for Political Affairs and Security Policy of NATO
Moderator: Teri Schultz, Freelance NATO and EU Reporter

Saturday, May 16

10.00–11.15 Not One Centimetre: Europe's Defence Strategy

Russia's aggression against Ukraine, the wars in the Middle East, and China's challenge are reshaping how European states assess threats and prepare for crises. No longer able to rely solely on Washington, European nations are forced to rethink their security strategy from the ground up. Beyond managing relations with the US, Europe must reckon with global risks and instability, draw lessons from high-intensity conflicts, and guard against deep strikes and missile attacks, drone warfare, sabotage of critical maritime infrastructure, space domain vulnerabilities, and cyber and hybrid pressure. Does Europe have the readiness, resilience, and, above all, credibility to deter in the years to come? And can NATO and the EU build the defence and industrial capacity to back it up?

Baiba Braže, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Latvia
General Ingo Gerhartz, Commander of NATO Allied Joint Force Command Brunssum
Carlo Masala, Chair for Security and Defence Studies at Bundeswehr University Munich
Hanno Pevkur, Minister of Defence of Estonia
Robert Wilkie, Chairman of the Center for American Security
Moderator: Kim Dozier, Global Affairs Analyst at CNN          

11.45–13.00 Building Forward: Small but Resilient

The cornerstones of resilience are laid long before the crisis arrives: in classrooms, in economies strong enough to fund a defence, and in civic cultures confident enough to know what they are defending. How do we remain open and adaptable while staying true to our core values? How do we resist despair? From civic agency to crisis preparedness, from education to economic opportunity, from strengthening public institutions to enriching our shared cultural space—our instruments are many. But to use them well, we need a shared vision and a common direction. Where do we begin? And what are we striving to build? 

Introductory remarks by Alar Karis, President of Estonia

Hiski Haukkala, Director of the Finnish Institute of International Affairs 
Jakov Milatovic, President of Montenegro
Ayman Safadi, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs and Expatriates of Jordan
Maia Sandu, President of Moldova
Moderator: Sylvie Kauffmann, Editorial Director at Le Monde

16.00-16.30 Lennart Meri lecture (speaker announced on spot)

16.30–17.45 Ukraine's Strategic Place: From Frontline to Foundation

Ukraine has been holding the frontline of Europe. It now possesses war-fighting capabilities, battlefield-tested innovation, hard-won expertise in 21st-century warfare, and an institutional resilience that few can match. These are not assets to be unlocked upon Ukraine's accession to the EU or NATO, but a foundation upon which Europe should start building its security. What does integration look like when it is designed not merely to admit but to embed? The conversation about Ukraine's place has largely been framed around what Europe gives—we must now look at what Europe gains. How do we align Kyiv's urgency and ambition with Brussels' institutional weight and analytical rigour?

Mariana Betsa, Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine
Sebastian Hartmann, Parliamentary State Secretary for Defence of Germany
Jennifer Kavanagh, Director and Senior Fellow of Military Analysis at Defense Priorities
Mark Montgomery, Senior Director of Foundation for Defense of Democracies
Margus Tsahkna, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Estonia
Moderator: Shane Harris, Staff Writer at The Atlantic

18.15–19.30 In This Together: New Momentum for Indo-Pacific and Europe

Shared security threats have brought Europe and key partners in the Indo-Pacific closer than ever. Repeated warnings against becoming 'vassals' of hegemons and calls to combine the strengths of mid-sized countries—or middle powers—have begun to produce results. Trade agreements and defence partnerships are being concluded, and high-level visits have become more frequent. Spillovers from the wars in the Middle East and China's attempts to consolidate its influence have incentivised stronger collaboration. What opportunities remain to be seized? How can these alliances be operationalised? And what do Indo-Pacific partners candidly expect from their European counterparts?

Yoon-jeong Baek, Deputy Director-General at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Korea
Kestutis Budrys, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Lithuania
Angus Campbell, Ambassador of Australia to the European Union, NATO, Belgium, and Luxembourg
Theresa P. Lazaro, Foreign Secretary of the Philippines
Harinder Sekhon, Distinguished Fellow at CUTS International
Tara Varma, Managing Director of Strategic Foresight and Director of the German Marshall Fund's Paris Office
Moderator: Steve Clemons, Editor-at-Large at The National Interest

Sunday, May 17

11.30–12.00    Fireside Chat: Kaja Kallas in conversation with Edward Luce

Kaja Kallas, High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy and Vice-President of the European Commission
Edward Luce, US National Editor and Columnist at the Financial Times

12.00–13.15   The Master Plan: Europe's Grand Strategy

The extension of a zone of stability, democracy, and prosperity across a continent that had torn itself apart twice in a century was not crisis management—but the greatest of grand strategies Europe has ever devised. Since then, Europe has struggled to adapt to the moving geopolitical tides. Now is the time to move from reaction to design. We must not ask ourselves what the future holds, but what future we want to build. Can Europe still think and act strategically? What institutional, political, and intellectual costs does that entail, and are we willing to pay them? How can partnerships with regional and global actors advance strategic objectives that formal structures cannot? And where does the balance between realism and idealism lie?

Elena Lazarou, Director General at the Hellenic Foundation for European and Foreign Policy
Phillips O'Brien, Professor of Strategic Studies and Head of the School of International Relations at the University of St Andrews
Kristi Raik, Director of the International Centre for Defence and Security
Thomas Röwekamp, Chairman of the Defence Committee of the German Bundestag
Bruno Tertrais, Deputy Director of the Foundation for Strategic Research
Moderator: Edward Luce, US National Editor and Columnist at the Financial Times

13.15–13.25 Closing remarks

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