Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg welcomed President Peter Pellegrini of Slovakia to NATO Headquarters on Friday (28 June 2024) to discuss preparations for the Washington Summit.
Mr. Stoltenberg commended Slovakia for being a "dedicated NATO Ally", strengthening NATO's collective defence by hosting one of NATO's battlegroups and contributing to another in Latvia. He welcomed that 23 Allies, including Slovakia, invest at least 2% of their GDP in defence in 2024.
The Secretary General said that the Summit will take important decisions for the future on deterrence and defence, Ukraine and partnerships. These decisions will "ensure that we have the capabilities, the forces, the readiness to deter any aggression", since the purpose of NATO is not to fight, but to prevent war and to preserve peace.
Mr Stoltenberg emphasized that the support for Ukraine will also be high at the agenda of the Summit in July. "I expect Allies to agree a lead role for NATO in providing security assistance and training and also a long-term commitment" he said, adding that "the stronger our support to Ukraine is, the sooner this war can end."
