NATO Secretary General Rutte Discusses Continued Support for Ukraine with Portugal and Spain

NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte has discussed continued support for Ukraine with the leadership of Portugal and Spain, the NATO official website reports.

‘NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte visited Lisbon and Madrid on Monday, 27 January, to discuss the security situation in Europe, the need to increase defence spending and the importance of continuing to support Ukraine,’ the statement said.

In particular, in Lisbon, the NATO Secretary General met with President Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa, Prime Minister Luiz Montenegro and other members of the government. 

In Madrid, Mark Rutte met with Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez and other officials.

‘The Secretary General said that in order to keep NATO strong, the Alliance needs to continue to adapt, and that efforts must be stepped up now to ensure future security. He stressed the need to increase defence spending and welcomed recent steps taken by Portugal and Spain in this regard, noting that the 2% of GDP target set a decade ago is no longer sufficient to meet the challenges of the future,’ the press release said. 

Speaking in Lisbon, the NATO Secretary General stressed that Russia is challenging the resilience of allied countries through actions that range from assassination attempts to cyberattacks and sabotage.

‘During the visit, the Secretary General also thanked Portugal and Spain for their support for Ukraine and stressed that this support is crucial so that when Ukraine decides to come to the negotiating table, it can do so from a position of strength,’ the statement said.