NATO Secretary General Rutte Announces Ukraine-NATO Council Meeting.

On Wednesday, ahead of the NATO defense ministers' meeting in Brussels, which will take place on October 17-18, 2024, NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte outlined the expected outcomes of the meeting at a press conference at the Alliance headquarters.

NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte stated that the NATO defense ministers' meeting is expected to yield positive results. He emphasized the need to move forward and faster to counter growing threats.

According to Rutte, this requires more forces, capabilities, and investments to achieve the ambitious goals set by NATO's defense plans. He also noted that expanding defense industrial capacities, more reliable supply chains, and new technologies are critically important to ensuring the resilience of the Alliance.

It is expected that NATO defense ministers will approve a new initiative to improve standardization. Rutte explained that better implementation of standards can help reduce the cost of defense procurement and is important work for NATO.

He confirmed that NATO stands shoulder to shoulder with Ukraine now and in the future. On Thursday evening, NATO defense ministers will meet with their Ukrainian counterpart Rustem Umerov as part of the NATO-Ukraine Council to discuss the battlefield situation and Ukraine's most pressing needs.

Rutte reported that work on establishing a new NATO command in Wiesbaden to coordinate security assistance and training for Ukraine is on track, as is the fulfillment of commitments to provide 40 billion euros in military assistance to Ukraine. He noted that NATO countries have already provided 20.9 billion euros in military assistance to Ukraine during the first half of 2024 and continue to meet their commitments.

The defense ministers' meeting will also provide an opportunity to exchange views on the current global security situation with NATO partners in the Indo-Pacific region and with the European Union. The defense ministers of Australia, Japan, New Zealand, and the Republic of Korea will join NATO members for the first Time at the meeting.