‘NATO is stronger now than ever since the fall of the Berlin Wall’: NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte

At a joint press conference at NATO Headquarters on Thursday (26 February), NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte met Lithuanian Prime Minister Inga Ruginienė to discuss defence, deterrence and European security.

Mark Rutte said Lithuania has been a “valued member” of NATO since 2004, describing the country as a “role model for Allies” and stressing that “freedom and security demand serious investment.” He added that Lithuania that “NATO is stronger now than ever since the fall of the Berlin Wall.”

Inga Ruginienė said NATO remains “the cornerstone of Lithuanian security”, adding that the country has “full confidence in Allied unity” despite a security environment she described as challenging and tested daily by military pressure and hybrid activity. She stressed that Europe must assume greater responsibility for its own defence while maintaining a strong transatlantic relationship with the United States to ensure credible deterrence.

Lithuania hosts key NATO assets and contributes to allied capabilities, particularly along the Alliance’s eastern flank amid continued tensions with Russia.

Key developments:

• Lithuania hosts NATO Air Policing at Šiauliai Air Base.

• A permanent German brigade is deployed under NATO forward land forces.

• The NATO Energy Security Centre of Excellence operates in Vilnius.

• Lithuania continues to increase defence investment and allied cooperation.

Rutte stressed that stronger European defence spending reinforces transatlantic deterrence, describing NATO as more unified and focused on its core mission than at any time since the Cold War.

ℹ️ NATO