Secretary General announces new head of the NATO Representation in Ukraine
On Wednesday (17 July 2024), Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg announced the appointment of a Senior Representative to lead the NATO Representation in Ukraine (NRU). Patrick Turner will take up the role in Kyiv in September 2024. He previously served as NATO Assistant Secretary General for Operations and as Assistant Secretary General for Defence Policy and Planning, as well as in a range of senior civil service positions for the United Kingdom.
The Secretary General welcomed the appointment: “Patrick Turner brings years of leadership and experience to the role. As a committed public servant, he has a strong track record of delivering results. I am sure he will excel in this important role as NATO continues to step up its support to Ukraine.” Mr Turner said: “I am truly honoured to have been appointed as NATO's Senior Representative in Ukraine. I look forward to leading the NATO Representation and to working very closely with the Ukrainian authorities and with NATO Allies and partners to help deliver NATO support to Ukraine.”
As the Senior Representative, Mr Turner will head the NRU and act as a focal point for NATO’s engagement with the Ukrainian authorities in Kyiv. He will coordinate NATO’s efforts and provide the Alliance with assessments and advice on the situation in Ukraine.
At the NATO Summit in Washington, Allies agreed to establish NATO Security Assistance and Training for Ukraine (NSATU) to better coordinate the provision of military equipment and training for Ukraine. This builds on NATO’s unprecedented support to Ukraine to defend itself against Russian aggression. Allies also announced a pledge of long-term security assistance to Ukraine with a minimum baseline of 40 billion euros within the next year, and to provide sustainable levels of security assistance for Ukraine to prevail.