NATO News

NATO Foreign Ministers held an extraordinary virtual meeting on Friday (7 January 2022) to discuss Russia’s continued military build-up in and around Ukraine, and the implications for European security.

On Monday, 10 January 2022, the NATO Secretary General, Mr. Jens Stoltenberg, will receive the Deputy Prime Minister for European and Euro-Atlantic Integration of Ukraine, Ms Olga Stefanishyna.

On Wednesday 12 January 2022, a meeting of the NATO Russia Council will take place at NATO Headquarters.

France takes the lead of NATO’s highest-readiness military force on Saturday (1 January 2022), for a period of one year. The formation, formally known as NATO’s Very High Readiness Joint Task Force (VJTF), was created in 2014 in response to crises in the Middle East and Russia’s aggression against Ukraine, and is permanently available to move within days to defend any Ally. The VJTF is the highest-readiness element of NATO’s 40,000-strong Response Force.

NATO fighter jets scrambled around 370 times across Europe in 2021, mostly to check aircraft flying unannounced near Allied air space. Around 80 percent of the missions, 290 in total, were in response to flights by Russian military aircraft.

NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg welcomed Prime Minister of Romania, Nicolae Ciucă, to NATO headquarters on Tuesday (21 December). The Secretary General congratulated Mr. Ciucă for his appointment as Prime Minister. He praised Romania’s contributions to the Alliance, including for playing an essential role in the Black Sea region. Mr. Stoltenberg also welcomed Romania’s efforts to help build stability in the Western Balkans, and its support to NATO’s partners, including to Moldova and Ukraine.

Since April 2020, NATO Headquarters in Brussels has been home to three beehives. In 2020, they produced 25 kg of natural honey. Even though 2021 was a difficult year for honey production in Belgium, it turned out to be a surprisingly productive one for the NATO bees. About 60 kilos of high quality honey was harvested on the NATO HQ site, which was rated the ''Best site for Production'' by the beekeeper, Made in Abeilles.

Holiday greetings to all NATO servicemen and -women around the world.

On Tuesday, 21 December 2021, the NATO Secretary General, Mr. Jens Stoltenberg, will receive the Prime Minister of Romania, Mr. Nicolae Ciucă.

Do you have an idea for a project that could contribute to better understanding of NATO, its role and policies? The NATO Public Diplomacy Division works actively to strengthen the Alliance’s public image, promoting understanding, trust in and support for the Alliance. It does so by contributing to a continuous process of international security debate and policy design, through a variety of people-to-people and digital programmes in NATO and partner countries. NATO can therefore help make your project a reality, providing advice, funding and practical assistance.

On 17th December 2021, Admiral Rob Bauer, Chair of the NATO Military Committee was in Paris to meet with General Thierry Burkhard, Chief of Defence of the French Armed Forces. He also visited the Centre for Planning and Conduct of Operations where he received a series of briefings on France's military activities.

NATO’s highest Military Authority, the Military Committee, will meet virtually on 12-13 January 2022, in Brussels, Belgium. Admiral Rob Bauer, Chair of the Military Committee, will preside over the sessions, which will be attended by the Allied Chiefs of Defence. They will be supported by General Tod Wolters (Supreme Allied Commander Europe, SACEUR) and General Philippe Lavigne (Supreme Allied Commander Transformation, SACT).

NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg welcomed Bulgaria’s new Prime Minister Kiril Petkov on Friday (17 December) at NATO headquarters, on his first visit abroad as Prime Minister.

We are gravely concerned by the substantial, unprovoked, and unjustified Russian military build-up on the borders of Ukraine in recent months, and reject the false Russian claims of Ukrainian and NATO provocations. We call on Russia to immediately de-escalate, pursue diplomatic channels, and abide by its international commitments on transparency of military activities.

At a meeting of the North Atlantic Council on Tuesday (14 December 2021), Allies agreed NATO’s civil and military budgets for 2022. The civil budget is set at €289.1 million and the military budget is set at €1.56 billion. All member countries contribute to these budgets, according to an agreed cost-sharing formula based on Gross National Income.

Today (Thursday 16 December 2021), Deputy Secretary General Mircea Geoană participated in a virtual roundtable hosted by the Italian magazines AirPress and Formiche.

NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg welcomed Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy to NATO Headquarters on Thursday (16 December 2021) to discuss Russia’s military build-up in and around Ukraine.

In light of the progressive relaxation of COVID-19 restrictions in Belgium and in accordance with the space available for media and current social distancing rules, (a limited number of) media representatives will be allowed to enter physically the NATO HQ for media coverage purposes as of 1 Sept 2021.

On Friday, 17 December 2021, the NATO Secretary General, Mr. Jens Stoltenberg, will receive the Prime Minister of Bulgaria, Mr.Kiril Petkov.