On Wednesday (October 16), NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte and the Prime Minister of Sweden Ulf Kristersson met at NATO Headquarters in Brussels to discuss the strengthening of NATO's deterrence and defence and NATO's increased support to Ukraine.
Since joining NATO in March this year, "Sweden's membership has made NATO stronger, Sweden safer, and all of us more secure," said the Secretary General. He commended the Swedish government for its recent proposals to bolster NATO's deterrence and defence, including with "troops for NATO's battlegroup in Latvia, combat aircraft for NATO's air policing mission, and vessels for NATO's Standing Naval Forces." The Secretary General thanked Sweden for its offer to lead the new NATO battlegroup to be established in Finland. He noted that Sweden spends more than 2 percent of GDP on defence and welcomed the country's plans to further boost its defence spending in 2025.
The Secretary General also noted Sweden's steadfast support to Ukraine. "On a per capita basis, Sweden is a top supporter of Ukraine. Providing over 4 billion euros in military assistance," he said. He reiterated that Allies are working hard to deliver on the commitments made during the Washington Summit on support for Ukraine, including "a new Command to coordinate security assistance and training, and a financial pledge of 40 billion euros as a minimum baseline in the coming year."
Secretary General Rutte stressed that Ukraine's path to membership is irreversible. "Every nation has the right to choose its own path. No one outside NATO or outside that particular country has a veto or a vote on this. Sweden's seat at the NATO table shows exactly that," he concluded.
