NATO Deputy Secretary General highlights the transatlantic bond, defence investment and Arctic security in Oslo

NATO Deputy Secretary General Radmila Shekerinska travelled to Norway on Monday (2 February 2026) where she participated in the Oslo Security Conference. Whilst in Oslo the Deputy Secretary General met Minister of Foreign Affairs Espen Barth Eide, and Deputy Minister of Trade and Industry Ragnhild Syrstad.

In her remarks to the conference, Ms Shekerinska underlined the essential nature of the transatlantic bond, calling it "the bond that has kept our two continents together, and this is a bond that has made all of us more secure".

She highlighted that for more than three quarters of a century, NATO has delivered on its core task of providing security, adding that Allies "agree on what is needed in order to deliver this shared goal: more defence investments, more defence production at a speedier scale, and also more support to Ukraine."

The Deputy Secretary General pointed to concrete progress in defence industrial output across the Alliance, particularly in ammunition production. The demand signal that was sent by the political leaders at the NATO Summit in The Hague "did change the course," she said, adding that defence industry across the Alliance is "already picking up pace, producing more firepower." She stressed that lessons from Ukraine show that pace of production, industry and innovation are as important as the political will to fight.

She thanked Norway for its comprehensive support for Ukraine, including military, humanitarian and energy assistance, praising Norway's commitment as "really exemplary".

Addressing security developments in the High North, the Deputy Secretary General affirmed that "it was not only Norway, and it was not just our Arctic Allies, that have an interest to preserve security and stability in the High North. It is in the interest of all NATO Allies."