NATO update

 

20 March 2026 Update

NATO Secretary General visits Norway and observes exercise Cold Response 26 in the High North On 18 March 2026, NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte visited Norway, where he met Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre before travelling north to Bardufoss Air Base and the Setermoen training area, to observe exercise Cold Response 26. Speaking at a press conference in Setermoen with Minister of Defence Tore O. Sandvik and Minister of Foreign Affairs Espen Barth Eide, the Secretary General described Norway as “a key player” for the security of NATO’s northern flank. Read more

NATO Secretary General welcomes Romanian President to Headquarters NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte welcomed Romanian President Nicuşor Dan to NATO Headquarters in Brussels on 19 March 2026 for his first official visit, praising Romania's steadfast role as an Ally since joining in 2004. Mr Rutte highlighted Romania's strategic importance on the eastern flank and in the Black Sea region, noting its hosting of the French-led NATO Forward Land Forces, investment in defence, and more. Read more NATO Secretary General commends Bulgaria for its contributions to the Alliance On 19 March 2026, NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte welcomed Prime Minister of Bulgaria Andrey Gurov to NATO Headquarters. Mr Rutte praised Bulgaria for its contributions to NATO’s deterrence and defence posture on the eastern flank and for its key role in the security of the Black Sea region, an area of strategic importance for the Alliance. Read more NATO Allies and Gulf partners discuss the security situation in the Middle East On 18 March 2026, the North Atlantic Council met with NATO’s partners from the Gulf. Discussions centred on the current security situation in the Middle East and its impact on the region and Euro-Atlantic security. Read more NATO Secretary General visits London for talks with Prime Minister Starmer and President Zelenskyy On 17 March 2026, NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte visited London for discussions with UK Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer and President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy. The Secretary General welcomed the agreement between the UK and Ukraine to enhance security and defence industrial cooperation. The Secretary General underlined NATO’s continued strong support for Ukraine. Read more NATO and the European Union discuss stability in the Western Balkans On 17 March 2026, NATO Deputy Secretary General Radmila Shekerinska welcomed Ambassador Peter Sorensen, the EU Special Representative for the Belgrade-Pristina Dialogue, to NATO Headquarters. Read more New NATO Innovation Range starts counter-drone technology testing in Latvia From 9 to 13 March 2026, NATO’s Innovation Range for uncrewed systems in Latvia launched its first Testing, Evaluation, Verification and Validation (TEVV) campaign on uncrewed aircraft systems (UAS) and counter-UAS technologies. Read more NATO Headquarters hosts discussions about Russia’s Shadow Fleet On 17 March 2026, delegates and experts from across the Alliance took part in discussions at NATO Headquarters about Russia’s Shadow Fleet.  The Shadow Fleet Symposium, organised in partnership with the delegations of the Netherlands and Portugal, helped enhance understanding about how to constrain Russia’s Shadow Fleet. Read more NATO Allies and Indo-Pacific partners deepen cyber defence cooperation On 16 March 2026, the Cyber Champions Summit was held in Prague, Czechia. NATO Allies, along with partners Australia, Japan, the Republic of Korea and New Zealand agreed to further develop cyber defence cooperation, including through enhanced expert level exchange at the political, military and technical levels. Read more THIS WEEK IN PICTURES

Update 13 March 2026 NATO Secretary General highlights crucial role of industry in our security On 12 March 2026, NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte attended the Brussels European Defense Exhibition & Conference (BEDEX). He praised the crucial role of the defence industry for continued security across Europe and North America. READ MORE Secretary General praises the close cooperation between NATO and Moldova On 11 March 2026, NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte welcomed Deputy Prime Minister of the Republic of Moldova Mihai Popșoi to NATO Headquarters, where he participated in a meeting of the North Atlantic Council. READ MORE NATO Deputy Secretary General welcomes President of the ICRC to NATO Headquarters On 11 March 2026, NATO Deputy Secretary General Radmila Shekerinska welcomed Mirjana Spoljaric Egger, President of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), to the North Atlantic Council. READ MORE NATO Secretary General praises European contribution to transatlantic security On 9 March 2026, NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte took part in a panel discussion in Brussels, together with EU leaders, as part of the annual EU Ambassadors’ Conference. READ MORE Ukrainian rescue service leaders bring lessons in resilience to NATO On 10 and 11 March 2026, senior officials from the State Emergency Service of Ukraine (SESU) visited NATO HQ to brief Allies on crisis management, resilience-building, and civil-military cooperation to keep citizens safe. READ MORE Swedish Air Force concludes first Icelandic Air Policing mission The Swedish Air Force has successfully concluded its deployment to Keflavík Air Base, Iceland, where JAS 39 Gripen fighter aircraft conducted NATO’s Icelandic Air Policing mission as part of the Alliance’s Arctic Sentry activities. (Story courtesy of Allied Air Command) READ MORE Arctic Sentry enhances Allied cold-weather operations preparedness through exercise Cold Response 2026 Exercise Cold Response, which is currently taking place, is a clear demonstration of NATO’s presence and posture in the High North and Arctic, under the Arctic Sentry framework. (Story courtesy of Joint Force Command Norfolk) READ MORE How do NATO battlegroups keep us safe? We asked an Estonian For eight years, a NATO battlegroup has stood watch in Estonia, guarding against external aggression while assuring their Allies with their presence. While many Estonian citizens have caught a glimpse of the battlegroup during training exercises, few have gotten an insider’s perspective on how it works, and what it can do. Watch video THIS WEEK IN PICTURES

NATO HQ, Blvd Leopold III 1110 Brussels, Belgium

13 March 2026

Launch of the NATO Secretary General's Annual Report for 2025 On Thursday, 26 March 2026, the NATO Secretary General, Mr Mark Rutte, will present his Annual Report for 2025, at NATO Headquarters in Brussels. This will be followed by a short reception for accredited journalists. Media advisory +/-14:00 (CET) Press conference by the NATO Secretary General, Press Briefing Room +/-15:00 (CET) Reception for accredited journalists, NATO Restaurant - Compass room  Media coverage Media representatives who are annually accredited to NATO in 2026 can cover the press event in person. Annually accredited media who wish to attend the reception are requested to register via this link. Media representatives without annual accreditation and who are interested in covering the event and the reception are requested to apply for ad-hoc accreditation via this link by 20 March 2026, midnight (CET). Please apply as early as possible to allow for sufficient time for processing accreditation requests. The press conference will be streamed live on the NATO website and will be made available to EBU News Exchange and NATO News on YouTube. A transcript of the Secretary General’s remarks, as well as pictures taken by a NATO photographer, will be available on the NATO website. Video will be available for free download from the NATO Multimedia Portal after the event.

Press Release 16 March 2026

NATO Secretary General to visit Norway On 17 and 18 March 2026, the NATO Secretary General, Mr Mark Rutte, will travel to Norway, where he will meet the Prime Minister of Norway, Mr Jonas Gahr Støre, in Oslo and observe Cold Response, a Norwegian-led exercise with participation from NATO Allies and partners, in Bardufoss. Media advisory 15:20 (CET) Wednesday 18 March: Joint press conference by the NATO Secretary General with the Minister of Defence of Norway, Ms Tore O. Sandvik and the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Norway, Mr Espen Barth Eide. Media coverage The joint press conference will be streamed live on the NATO website and will be made available to EBU News Exchange and NATO News on YouTube. Video recording of the joint press conferences will be available for free download from the NATO Multimedia Portal after the events. A transcript of the Secretary General’s remarks during the press conferences, as well as pictures, will be available on the NATO website.

17 March 2026

NATO Secretary General to visit the United Kingdom On Tuesday, 17 March 2026, the NATO Secretary General, Mr Mark Rutte, will travel to the United Kingdom. The Secretary General will meet the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, Mr Keir Starmer and the President of Ukraine, Mr Volodymyr Zelenskyy. He will also take part in an event at the Houses of Parliament, London. Photos will be available on the NATO website after the event. For more information For general queries: contact the NATO Press Office

Press Release 17 March 2026

NATO Secretary General meets the President of Romania On Thursday 19 March 2026, the NATO Secretary General, Mr Mark Rutte, will meet the President of Romania, Mr Nicușor Dan, at NATO Headquarters, in Brussels. Media opportunity 09:30 (CET): Joint press point by the NATO Secretary General and the President of Romania Media coverage Media representatives who are annually accredited to NATO in 2026 can cover the press event in person. Media representatives without annual accreditation and who are interested in covering the event should email NatoAccreditations@hq.nato.int before 13:00 CET on Wednesday 18 March 2026. Please note that due to the short time to process applications, ad-hoc accreditation may not be guaranteed.   In order to be accompanied to the location of the press point, media are requested to report by 9.00 next to the Press shop, ground floor, Public Square.   The press point will be streamed live on the NATO website and on X @NATOPress. A transcript of the Secretary General’s remarks, as well as photographs, will be on the NATO website.   Video can be downloaded from the NATO Multimedia Portal after the event.

Press Release 18 March 2026

NATO Secretary General meets the Prime Minister of Bulgaria On Thursday 19 March 2026, the NATO Secretary General, Mr Mark Rutte, will meet the Prime Minister of Bulgaria, Mr Andrey Gyurov, at NATO Headquarters, in Brussels. Media opportunity 14:15 (CET): Short remarks by the NATO Secretary General and the Prime Minister of Bulgaria Media coverage Media representatives who are annually accredited to NATO in 2026 can cover the press event in person. Media representatives without annual accreditation and who are interested in covering the event should email NatoAccreditations@hq.nato.int before 13:00 CET on Wednesday 18 March 2026. Please note that due to the short time to process applications, ad-hoc accreditation may not be guaranteed.   The press statements will be streamed live on the NATO website and on X @NATOPress. A transcript of the Secretary General’s remarks, as well as photographs, will be on the NATO website.   The pool of media covering the remarks will meet in front of the Press Shop at NATO HQ at 13:45 CET.   Video can be downloaded from the NATO Multimedia Portal after the event.   For more information: For general queries: Contact the NATO Press Office