Arriving at the NATO Summit on Monday (14 June 2021), Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said that the meeting would be a pivotal moment for the Alliance and a time to “open a new chapter in our transatlantic relations.” Mr Stoltenberg laid out a full agenda for the meeting, including NATO’s relations with Russia, which he said were “at its lowest point since the Cold War because of Russia’s pattern of aggressive behaviour”, as well as China, which offers opportunities but “also poses some challenges to our security”.
Against this background, the Secretary General that leaders would agree an ambitious NATO 2030 agenda, which includes reinforcing collective defence, strengthening resilience, sharpening our technological edge, and making climate and security an important task for the Alliance. Allied leaders are also expected to agree to keep defence spending up, Mr Stoltenberg said, and “to invest more together, to meet our higher level of ambition”