Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg met with the President of France, Emmanuel Macron, in Paris on Wednesday (28 June 2023) to discuss final preparations for the NATO Vilnius Summit in July.
The Secretary General thanked President Macron for France's vital assistance to Ukraine, as it defends itself against Russia's war of aggression. He stressed the need to continue supporting Ukraine, which will be a major topic on the Summit agenda.
Mr. Stoltenberg commended France for leading the NATO multinational battle group in Romania, as well as for other contributions to the Alliance's deterrence and defence. He also stressed that France will be boosting defence spending by more than one-third in the coming years.
The Secretary General said that NATO-EU cooperation is more important than ever at this grave moment for European security, and welcomed France's strong commitment to further strengthening this strategic partnership.
