On Wednesday 22 and Thursday 23 January NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte attended the World Economic Forum in Davos.
Speaking at a breakfast held in support of Ukraine, hosted by The Victor Pinchuk Foundation and Yalta European Strategy, Mr Rutte underlined that a win for Putin would be a defeat for freedom, security and global stability. "We really have to step up and not scale back the support for Ukraine. We have to change the trajectory of the war," he insisted adding that any deal that pleased Russia, China, Iran and North Korea would not bring peace but make the world a darker place. The Secretary General went on to emphasise the vital need for Europeans to ramp up defence investment and production, noting that this is crucial to allowing NATO to deter aggression and ensure our collective defence into the future.
The Secretary General also spoke at a plenary event on 'Technology in the world' about the role innovation plays in meeting global challenges. Mr Rutte made clear that harnessing technology and increasing investment in defence is key to keeping the one billion people living in NATO countries safe. He also called on NATO Allies to be faster and fiercer in shifting to a wartime mindset saying "speed is of the essence".
