PM meeting with Secretary General of NATO Mark Rutte: 9 September 2025

The Prime Minister hosted NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte at Downing Street this afternoon.

The leaders began by discussing the situation in Doha, and the Prime Minister condemned the attack and reiterated the need to avoid further escalation in the region.

Turning to Ukraine, the leaders reflected on the situation on the frontline and underscored the need to ensure the country received the right military capabilities to keep them in the fight now.

The NATO Secretary General updated on his discussions at the Ukraine Defence Contact Group earlier today, and both leaders welcomed the efforts by allies to step up support, including through the Coalition of the Willing.

The military work that had also taken place to integrate US support into the plan for the Coalition of the Willing had progressed well, the leaders agreed.

However, more pressure, including through sanctions, needed to be applied to Putin to force him to engage meaningfully with peace talks, they added.

The NATO Secretary General also congratulated the Prime Minister on the UK's successful bid for Norway's future frigate programme. The Prime Minister said the decision would strengthen NATO Euro-Atlantic security and further increase interoperability across the Alliance, while also supporting jobs at home across the defence industry.

The leaders looked forward to speaking again soon.