On 12 November 2026, NATO's Secretary General, Mark Rutte, took part in a Summit meeting of the European Political Community (EPC) in Dublin, Ireland.
Upon arrival, the Secretary General highlighted that the gathering was important as it brings together a broad community to discuss common threats to security, noting how NATO Allies are working to stay ahead of threats. He underscored that European Allies and Canada are spending a quarter of a trillion extra U.S. dollars in defence in 2025 and 2026 combined. He added that more needs to be done to increase defence spending, ramp up defence industrial output, and bring a whole-of-society approach to building resilience.
Mr. Rutte also emphasised the importance of continued support to Ukraine.
In addition to his participation in the EPC sessions, the Secretary General held a number of bilateral meetings, including with Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen of Denmark, Prime Minister Donald Tusk of Poland, and the President of Ukraine, Volodymyr Zelenskyy.
