NATO Secretary General, Mark Rutte travelled to Slovakia on Thursday (20 February 2025) for meetings with President Peter Pellegrini, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Defence, Mr Robert Kaliňák, Minister of Foreign and European Affairs Mr Juraj Blanár and Minister of Finance Mr Ladislav Kamenický. While in Slovakia Mr Rutte also visited troops from NATO's multinational Forward Land Forces stationed in Lešť and gave a speech to students at the Comenius University, in Bratislava.
Speaking at a press conference alongside President Pellegrini, the Secretary General praised Slovakia's contribution to the Headquarters Multinational Division Centre and highlighted the key role played by NATO's multinational presence in Slovakia in defending NATO's eastern flank. He welcomed that Slovakia spends 2% of its GDP on defence and went on to emphasise the importance of further increasing defence spending in order to maintain NATO's ability to deter and defend into the future.
On Ukraine, Mr Rutte reaffirmed that "we all want to see an end to the terrible aggression," emphasising that it is "vital that any deal reached brings an enduring peace" and "that Russia will never again try to take one more square kilometre of Ukrainian land."
In his later remarks to students, the Secretary General identified peace and security as essential for progress and prosperity. He urged young Slovaks to play their part in securing their futures, saying "Building security and stability requires commitment. That means investing more in defence, standing together, and remembering that peace is never guaranteed, only protected."
