On Saturday (19 October) NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte joined a meeting of G7 Defence Ministers in Naples, Italy to discuss how to further increase support to Ukraine, ramp up defence industrial production, and more. It was the first G7 meeting for Mr Rutte in his role as Secretary General and the first time the G7 convened a dedicated meeting in Defence Ministers format.
The Secretary General highlighted the value of cooperation between G7 and NATO, given the complex nature of the challenges to shared security. On Ukraine, he underscored how ensuring that Ukraine has what it needs to prevail is critical to security and stability well beyond the region. As Ministers discussed defence industrial production, Mr Rutte noted the importance of working together - across the Alliance and beyond - to not only increase and speed up production but that these efforts are better aligned by working to NATO standards. The Secretary General also outlined how NATO is doing more to build its partnerships, not only in the Indo-Pacific but also in NATO's southern neighbourhood - another area on which G7 discussions focused.
The meeting in Naples comes on the heels of the NATO Defence Ministers' Meeting in Brussels this week, where Allies agreed on a range of initiatives related to improving deterrence and defence, ensuring enduring support for Ukraine, and doing more with partners in the Indo-Pacific as well as the EU.
The G7 Defense Joint Declaration is available here: https://www.g7italy.it/wp-content/uploads/Joint-Declaration-Defence.pdf
