NATO Secretary General discusses transatlantic security, champions defence investments and Ukraine support in Davos

NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte attended the World Economic Forum in Davos (20-22 January 2026), engaging in high-level discussions on global security and resilience.

Participating in the panel "Can Europe Defend Itself?", Mr. Rutte stressed the importance of transatlantic cooperation and highlighted the need for European Allies to continue investing more in defence, while urging industries to ramp up production and innovation in areas like AI and drones. "NATO is crucial, not only for the defence of Europe, but also for the defence of the United States… So when the question is, is Europe safe? Yes, Europe is safe because of what Europe is doing itself within NATO, but also because we have that strong transatlantic relationship."

Later in the day, the Secretary General had a productive meeting with President Trump during which they discussed the critical significance of security in the Arctic region to all Allies, including the United States.

At the Davos Ukrainian Breakfast hosted by Yalta European Strategy and the Victor Pinchuk Foundation, the Secretary General expressed confidence in progress towards securing a just and lasting peace in Ukraine but underscored how important it is that support continue. "These incredibly courageous Ukrainian soldiers, the Ukrainian military, the Ukrainian population, are defending their country against Russia," Rutte said. "They need our support. It's also about our collective security, that's what is at stake here."

While in Davos Mr. Rutte also met with a range leaders and officials including the Prime Minister of Canada, Mark Carney, the Prime Minister of Montenegro, Milojko Spajić, Norwegian Minister of Finance, Jens Stoltenberg, Japanese Minister of Defence, Shinjiro Koizumi, and a US Congressional Delegation, among others.