Category: NATO

Speaking to Defence Ministers gathered for the event, the Secretary General welcomed that the UDCG has provided tens of billions of euros in military assistance, helping to support Ukraine with the means to defend itself against Russia’s aggression. Much of the support generated by donors is now delivered through the NATO Security Assistance and Training for Ukraine (NSATU) command in Wiesbaden. Mr Rutte applauded European Allies for stepping up their military aid to Ukraine in 2025 and encouraged nations to continue their contributions, including through NATO’s Comprehensive Assistance Package (CAP) for Ukraine. He underlined the importance of sustained support to Ukraine as efforts to negotiate a just and lasting peace continue.

Special Representative Colomina highlighted the long-term importance of the committed partnership between NATO and Tunisia, notably in the context of current regional security challenges, including developments in the Sahel region. Taking stock of the cooperation to date, Special Representative Colomina and the Tunisian authorities discussed opportunities to further deepen political dialogue and enhance practical cooperation, on the basis of NATO’s strengthened approach to the southern neighbourhood, approved at the NATO Summit in Washington, in July 2024. Noting the links between regional and global security, the NATO Special Representative said: “Strengthening our partnership is of great value for both NATO and Tunisia. The challenges we face are global and interconnected; we can better address them and ensure stability through international cooperation.” 

“Tunisia is one of the most ambitious partners within the Mediterranean Dialogue and we value the country’s active involvement. Under the Defence Capacity Building (DCB) Package, NATO and Tunisia are deepening their cooperation,” he added. The DCB package includes important initiatives on defence and security, fostering interoperability with NATO and enabling cooperation  in areas such as maritime security, counter-terrorism, cyber security, countering-improvised explosive devices, women peace and security, building integrity and defence against chemical and biological agents. Tunisia is also enhancing its role as a regional capacity-building hub and contributes greatly to regional stability, including through military education programmes supported by NATO and open to African countries.

Tunisia joined the Mediterranean Dialogue in 1995. This NATO partnership framework aims to contribute to regional security and stability in the Mediterranean through political dialogue and practical cooperation.

On 9 April 2025, NATO’s Deputy Secretary General, Ms Radmila Shekerinska, chaired a meeting with representatives of the four ICI partners (Bahrain, Kuwait, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates). This followed a 19 March meeting, chaired by NATO’s Secretary General, Mr Mark Rutte, with representatives of the seven MD partners (Algeria, Egypt, Israel, Jordan, Mauritania, Morocco and Tunisia).

The Secretary General and the Deputy Secretary General underscored NATO’s commitment to the southern neighbourhood and its readiness to engage more actively with MD and ICI partners on security issues of shared interest. They noted that growing instability in the Sahel region and the latest developments in the Gulf have direct implications for the security of NATO’s partners in the region and for the Euro-Atlantic area.

The NATO Secretary General’s Special Representative for the Southern Neighbourhood, Mr Javier Colomina, used both occasions to brief on the efforts undertaken to enhance political dialogue and practical cooperation with these NATO partners and further synergies with regional and international organisations, in accordance with NATO’s Southern Neighbourhood Action Plan, which was agreed at the July 2024 Washington Summit. He also highlighted the first agenda for tackling security challenges, developed between NATO and the southern neighbourhood partners, which was approved by NATO Foreign Ministers in early April 2025.

They discussed practical ways to step up NATO-EU cooperation, focusing on military mobility. The Deputy Secretary General highlighted the important role that the EU can play in making sure that NATO Allies can deploy and sustain their forces rapidly to and throughout the whole of Europe.

Ms Shekerinska thanked Commissioner Tzitzikostas for an insightful presentation to the North Atlantic Council. She stressed  that exchanges with the EU are essential to foster transparency on issues of common interest between both organisations and to explore what more NATO and the EU can do together.

The meeting was part of NATO’s close cooperation with EU counterparts. At the meeting of NATO Foreign Ministers on 3-4 April NATO Allies met with EU High Represenative Kaja Kallas and on 26 March NATO Allies received a briefing by Andrius Kubilius, the EU Commissioner for Defence and Space.

“Japan is one of NATO’s most valued partners, and today we set out our vision on how to further strengthen our cooperation,” the Secretary General said. “Russia continues to wage war against Ukraine, ​and its economy is on war footing. And it has not given up its ambitions to reshape European security. Meanwhile, China is pursuing a major military build-up, and seeks to control key technologies, critical infrastructure, and supply chains. It continues to carry out destabilising activities in the Indo-Pacific, and we also see North Korean troops and weapons being used against Ukraine – in return for Russia’s support to North Korea’s illegal weapons programmes.” He highlighted that “in a more dangerous world, NATO and Japan stand strong, to protect our values, our freedom and the peace.”

Secretary General Rutte hailed Japan’s plan to invest 2% of its GDP in defence by 2027 and the country’s continued investments, which he believes will “make Japan’s already capable forces even stronger.” Furthermore, he underscored the value of Japan’s multifaceted support to Ukraine, including through the imposition of sanctions against Russia, the signature of a security agreement between Japan and Ukraine, and substantial contributions to NATO’s Comprehensive Assistance Package Trust Fund for Ukraine. The NATO Secretary General also highlighted the importance to bolster NATO’s collaboration with Japan on key areas including defence industrial production, cyber defence and maritime security.

During his two-day visit to Japan, the Secretary General also met with the Minister of Defence of Japan, Gen Nakatani, the Minister of Economy, Trade and Investment, Yogi Muto, and with Members of the ​Japanese Diet Council for Comprehensive Security.

Mr Rutte visited Yokosuka Naval Base on Tuesday, where he was briefed by Japan’s Maritime Self Defense Forces aboard a Mogami-class frigate. He also visited Mitsubishi Electric’s Kamakura Works and took part in a roundtable discussion with Japanese dual use start-ups.

CMC met with the Chief of the General Staff of the Albanian Armed Forces, Lieutenant General Arben Kingji, where the discussions focused on Albania’s valuable contribution to Alliance’s shared security. CMC took the opportunity to praise Albania for “its steadfast contribution to NATO’s multinational forces in Latvia and Bulgaria, to NATO’s KFOR peacekeeping mission in Kosovo, and to NATO’s mission in Iraq.” CMC highlighted that Albania has continuously expanded its role within the Alliance, increased its contributions, and trained officers and NCOs capable of operating in multinational environments.

Afterwards, Admiral Cavo Dragone met with Minister of Defence Pirro Vengu. CMC welcomed Albania’s efforts to invest more in defence and its continued support for Ukraine, including pledges of humanitarian and military aid.

During his visit, the CMC met with President Bajram Begaj and Prime Minister Edi Rama. The conversations revolved around Albania’s commitment to invest more in defence, its engagement to promoting stability and cooperation across the Western Balkans; a region of strategic importance to NATO. Preparations for the upcoming NATO Summit in The Hague were also discussed.

Speaking at the Defence Security College in Tirana, Admiral Cavo Dragone also thanked Albania for its politico-military role in NATO: “The Alliance needs leaders capable of taking difficult, but bold decisions in challenging times” and “Albania is no stranger to this kind of leadership.”

The report identifies six key trends that are important for NATO: evolving competition areas; the race for Artificial Intelligence (AI) and quantum superiority; biotechnology revolution; resource divide; fragmenting public trust; and technology integration and dependencies.

The report assesses that, as global strategic competition intensifies, advances in science and technology will transform how nations compete. It predicts that AI and quantum technologies will be at the centre of such competition and continue to revolutionise industries, including in the defence and security sectors. Advances in synthetic biology and related areas will raise issues about research security and health regulations.

NATO Chief Scientist and Chair of the NATO Science & Technology Board (STB), Dr Bryan Wells, stressed in the report that these trends will “empower NATO and Allies’ decision-makers to consider the choices before them and how they can best prepare the Alliance today to face future challenges”. “Continued knowledge-building and investment in science & technology will strengthen NATO’s and Allies’ ability to outperform the competitors of today and tomorrow and ensure that we remain robust, resilient, and ready to respond to any threat”, he concluded.

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Against this background, she said, the NATO Secretary General has set out three key priorities for the NATO Summit in The Hague, spending a lot more on defence, producing more capabilities, and doing more together for our security.

Ms Shekerinska said that there is a need to re-energise the defence industry and this means that industry needs to ramp up production and to put in extra shifts and new production lines, stressing that to stay safe, we must ensure we outpace our competitors. 

The Deputy Secretary General said that security needs a whole-of-society response together with all NATO Allies across Europe and North America and with NATO’s many partners, including other countries, organisations, members of academia, the private sector and citizens. 

She highlighted that industry produces essential materials and medicines, and helps ensure the uninterrupted operation of industrial value chains. In turn, she said, industry can count on NATO to ensure industry can continue to operate in a safe environment.

21 participants from six NATO Allies and Ukraine addressed topics including the security of critical services, strategic communications, transport and military mobility. The workshop aimed to enhance collaboration and inform future planning for NATO and Ukraine, identify key challenges and develop actionable strategies for Ukraine’s long-term security and defence readiness. In the workshop, experts from several Swedish government agencies shared Sweden’s approach to national resilience-building. This was complemented by NATO’s pool of resilience civil experts, who offered experience and best practices from across the Alliance. 

In 2024, Allies agreed to deepen cooperation with partners on resilience. The mutually beneficial work between NATO and Ukraine through JATEC directly contributes to this initiative. In the same year, Allies also agreed to continue supporting Ukraine, including by establishing JATEC. Opened in February 2025, JATEC is the first civil-military organisation to be jointly run by NATO and a partner nation. It analyses wartime experiences in Ukraine and provides NATO and Allies with insights on the latest battlefield developments, emerging technologies, lessons learned, and new education and training systems, as well as developing and testing new military concepts. JATEC’s work will help to further strengthen Ukraine’s defence sector, enhance its deterrence and defence, and reach full interoperability with NATO.

On the anniversary of the foundation of the Alliance, the Secretary General said that “as the world grows more dangerous,” the need for NATO has never been greater: “And we are united in our commitment to each other in this Alliance.” 
 
On Thursday, Mr Rutte commended “the biggest increase in defence spending on the European side of NATO since the end of the Cold War.” He welcomed US Secretary of State Marco Rubio to his first ministerial, thanking him for his tireless diplomacy and support for NATO. The North Atlantic Council then met for a working lunch, focused on defence investment and preparations for the Summit in The Hague. 
 
This was followed by a meeting with partners from the Indo-Pacific; Australia, Japan, the Republic of Korea and New Zealand. “The security of the Indo-Pacific and the Euro-Atlantic is more connected than ever before. The war in Ukraine is but one example of this as China, North Korea, and Iran continue to support Russia’s war machine,” said Mr Rutte. “This poses risks to us all.”

On Thursday evening, ministers met with Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha, in the NATO-Ukraine Council format, where they were also joined by the EU’s High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, Kaja Kallas. “We have to make sure that whenever a ceasefire or a peace deal is reached, that it is enduring, that it is lasting,” Secretary General Rutte said. He reaffirmed NATO’s support for Ukraine, and welcomed that Allies have pledged more than 20 billion euros in military assistance in the first quarter of 2025. 
 
The ministerial concluded on Friday morning with a meeting of the North Atlantic Council with the High Representative Kallas where they discussed NATO-EU cooperation, building defence industrial capacity, the situation in the Western Balkans, and support for Ukraine.

The Secretary General concluded his press conference on Friday by underlining that NATO remains the cornerstone of transatlantic security and global stability: “Through the years, working together, Allies have delivered security through strength. From all I heard during the last two days, we are well on track to continue delivering well into the future.”