NATO latest

 

NATO Allies help to train Ukrainian recruits in the UK The British Army has been training Ukrainian recruits on AS-90 self-propelled artillery guns, which are being donated to Ukraine. The AS-90 is a 155mm mobile artillery system capable of firing up to six rounds per minute. The United Kingdom has also been running a 35-day training course for Ukrainian volunteer fighters, which teaches them skills to survive in a hostile environment such as weapons handling, marksmanship and the law of armed conflict.  The instructors were from NATO Allies including Canada, Denmark, Finland, Lithuania, the Netherlands and Norway, as well as NATO invitee Sweden, and partner countries Australia and New Zealand. The programme is part of the UK’s commitment to help Ukraine uphold its right to self-defence against Russia’s unprovoked war of aggression. Click here to download the b-roll. Footage includes firing of the AS-90 artillery system, Ukrainian volunteers on a firing range and training being conducted by UK, Dutch and Norwegian troops.

NATO Foreign Ministers wrap up meetings with focus on China and support to Ukraine NATO Foreign Ministers wrapped up two days of discussions in Brussels on Wednesday (5 April 2023) with a meeting with Indo-Pacific partners – Australia, Japan, New Zealand and the Republic of Korea – and the European Union. Click here to read the webstory. Click here to download the final press conference by NATO Secretary General. Click here for all the video files of the meetings of NATO Foreign Ministers. Transcripts, photos and the programme of the meetings of NATO Foreign Ministers are available from the NATO website.

Secretary General welcomes Indo-Pacific partner countries to NATO HQ NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg welcomed Minister for Foreign Affairs of Japan Yoshimasa Hayashi, Minister of Foreign Affairs of New Zealand Nanaia Mahuta, Vice Foreign Minister of the Republic of Korea Do Hoon Lee, and Deputy Ambassador of Australia to NATO David Dutton to NATO Headquarters on Wednesday (5 April 2023). The representatives from NATO’s Indo-Pacific partner countries are joining a meeting of NATO foreign ministers to discuss the global consequences of Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine, and other shared challenges such as cyber and climate change. The Secretary General stressed that NATO is committed to working with like-minded partners across the globe to tackle global challenges, uphold the rules-based international order, and preserve peace. Click here to download the statement by NATO Secretary General with representatives of Australia, New Zealand, Japan and South Korea. Click here to download the family photo of the NATO Ministers of Foreign Affairs. Click here for all the video files of the meetings of NATO Foreign Ministers. Transcripts, photos and the programme of the meetings of NATO Foreign Ministers are available from the NATO website. Press conference by NATO Secretary General following the meeting of NATO Foreign Ministers (day 1) NATO Ministers of Foreign Affairs met in Brussels on 4 April 2023. NATO Secretary General gave a press conference following the first day of meetings. Click here to download the NATO Secretary General's press conference. And click here for all the video files of the meetings of NATO Foreign Ministers. Click here for the transcript of his press conference. Transcripts, photos and the programme of the meetings of NATO Foreign Ministers are available from the NATO website. Finland joins NATO as 31st Ally Finland became NATO’s newest member today (4 April 2023), upon depositing its instrument of accession to the North Atlantic Treaty with the United States at NATO Headquarters in Brussels.  Speaking ahead of the ceremony, the Secretary General thanked President Niinistö for his outstanding leadership and for leading Finland into the most successful Alliance in history. “I am deeply proud to welcome Finland as a full-fledged member of our Alliance and I look forward to also welcoming Sweden as soon as possible,” he said. “Joining NATO is good for Finland, it is good for Nordic security and it is good for NATO as a whole,” he added. The Secretary General also noted that Finland’s accession shows the world that President Putin failed to “slam NATO’s door shut.” “Instead of less NATO, he has achieved the opposite; more NATO and our door remains firmly open,” he said. The Finnish national anthem and the NATO hymn were played, as Finland’s flag was raised outside NATO Headquarters for the first time.  Simultaneous flag-raising ceremonies took place at NATO Allied Commands. Click here to access all the video files related to Finland's accession ceremony. Click here for the transcripts of NATO Secretary General statements. Finland to join NATO as Allied Foreign Ministers meet Finland will become the 31st member of NATO on Tuesday (4 April 2023), immediately preceding a two-day meeting of Allied Foreign Ministers. NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg welcomed Finland’s imminent accession, saying: “It will be a good day for Finland’s security, for Nordic security and for NATO as a whole.” Click here to download the press conference by NATO Secretary General ahead of the Meeting of NATO Ministers of Foreign Affairs. Click here for the transcript of his opening remarks.  The programme of the meeting of NATO Ministers of Foreign Affairs is available on NATO website.  Doorstep statement by the NATO Secretary General As NATO foreign ministers meet in Brussels today (4 April 2023), Finland will become the 31st member of the Alliance. “On this very day, in 1949, the Washington Treaty, NATO’s founding treaty, was signed in Washington and it is hard to imagine a better way of celebrating our anniversary than to have Finland becoming a full member of the Alliance,” said Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg. Previewing the meetings of foreign ministers, the Secretary General said that Allies will address NATO’s support to Ukraine, security challenges emanating from the Middle East and North Africa, the importance of increased defence investments, and NATO’s Indo-Pacific partnerships. Click here to download the NATO Secretary General's doorstep statement. And click here for all the video files of the meetings of NATO Foreign Ministers. Click here for the transcript of his statement. Transcripts, photos and the programme of the meetings of NATO Foreign Ministers are available from the NATO website.