NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte met Prime Minister of Norway Jonas Gahr Støre in Brussels on Thursday (11 June 2026) to discuss final preparations for the Ankara Summit.
The Secretary General praised Norway's significant role in strengthening Allied security, including through participation in air policing, contributions to NATO's Forward Land Forces, and leadership in hosting major NATO exercises in the High North.
"The Arctic and the High North are of growing strategic importance to our security. Norway's expertise and leadership are essential to NATO's posture in the region," he said.
Norway's core defence spending rose to over 3% GDP last year, up from just over 2% in 2024. "This is truly impressive and exactly what we need to see across the Alliance," the Secretary General said, noting Norway's commitment to continue increasing defence investment in the coming years.
On Ukraine, Mr Rutte highlighted Norway's leading role in supporting Ukraine since the start of Russia's full-scale invasion, including through its substantial contributions to the PURL initiative. He also welcomed the recent agreement between Norway and Ukraine to strengthen defence and security cooperation, including support for drone production.
"This will help strengthen Ukraine's ability to defend itself and sustain its fight against Russian aggression."
