The President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, said on Thursday that she and Mark Rutte, Secretary General of NATO, have agreed to work in the coming weeks to strengthen ties between the European Union and the alliance, while boosting European defence production and support for Ukraine.
The meeting took place at Rutte’s residence in Brussels. In a statement, von der Leyen said the two leaders reviewed ongoing cooperation on European defence and reaffirmed their commitment to continued support for Ukraine.
She noted that discussions also focused on the upcoming NATO summit in Ankara and the need to scale up defence production. “We need to invest more, produce more and do it faster,” she said.
Amid growing global security threats, both sides agreed to intensify coordination in the period ahead, aiming to reinforce EU–NATO cooperation and ensure effective preparation for the summit.
Rutte said the talks also covered the protection of critical infrastructure, stressing the importance of strengthening Europe’s resilience. “A stronger Europe means a stronger NATO,” he said, underlining the need for deeper coordination between the two organisations.
Source: CNA