NATO Defence Ministers Meeting opens with a focus on Ukraine and the Indo-Pacific

In the first session of the two-day meeting, Defence Ministers met in an expanded format that for the first time included partners Australia, Japan, New Zealand and South Korea, as well as the European Union. 

Secretary General Mark Rutte said this was “a clear sign of our deepening cooperation in the face of shared challenges.”

Ministers discussed joint efforts to boost cyber defences, defence production and innovation; counter disinformation; and harness new technologies, including artificial intelligence. They also consulted on how they’re working together to support Ukraine.

“The war in Ukraine has shown that instability in Europe can have far reaching consequences across the world, and that countries thousands of miles away – as far away as Iran, China and even North Korea – can become security spoilers in our own backyard. Our world is closely linked – and so is our security,” said Rutte, who was chairing his first NATO Defence Ministers Meeting since taking office earlier this month.

The Secretary General also met with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy to discuss ongoing support for Ukraine. 

President Zelenskyy later addressed NATO Defence Ministers in the NATO-Ukraine Council, welcoming NATO’s continued support and highlighting Ukraine’s most urgent needs. 

The Secretary General underscored that Allies are firmly on track to deliver on their financial pledge of 40 billion euros in security assistance to Ukraine, with 20.9 billion euros provided in the first half of this year. 

Mr Rutte also noted his recent trip to Wiesbaden, Germany, where he visited NATO’s new command to coordinate security assistance and training to Ukraine. He said that the men and women serving there are “already hard at work to ensure that we deliver for Ukraine – so that you can prevail.”