On Monday (13 October 2025), NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte visited Ljubljana, Slovenia, where he addressed the 71st Annual Session of the NATO Parliamentary Assembly.
At the NATO Summit in The Hague in June, Allies agreed to spend 5% of their GDP on defence, rapidly expand defence production, and continue to support Ukraine. Mr Rutte underlined that "NATO is stepping up." European Allies and Canada are significantly increasing their defence investment and ramping up production. NATO's new initiative, Prioritised Ukraine Requirements List (PURL) has already channelled $2 billion of essential military equipment to Ukraine. In the first two months since its launch, equipment via PURL "is not only keeping Ukraine in the fight" but "it is saving lives," said the Secretary General.
Underscoring the importance of their role, Mr Rutte urged parliamentarians to raise awareness with their publics and governments of the Alliance's priorities, and of the security threats societies are facing. Mr Rutte warned that "we live in a dangerous world...the risks to our security have reach." Challenges to the Alliance's collective security demonstrate "why it is essential that we work together in NATO," said the Secretary General. Investing more in defence will help Allies "protect critical infrastructure, defend our networks, strengthen our resilience, and enhance civil preparedness."
During his visit, the Secretary General met Slovenian Prime Minister Dr Robert Golob, President Dr Nataša Pirc Musar and President of the National Assembly Urška Klakočar Zupančič. He thanked them for Slovenia's contributions to the Alliance, including to NATO's missions in Iraq and Kosovo as well as to the Forward Land Forces in Latvia and Slovakia. Mr Rutte highlighted Slovenia's support for Ukraine, welcoming Slovenia's announcement of its contribution to the next PURL package of essential equipment for Ukraine. Slovenia has also committed to increasing defence investment; the Secretary General noted that doing so ensures NATO has "the capabilities and forces to keep our people safe."
