NATO Deputy Secretary General Mircea Geoană participated in a public event hosted by the Paris School of International Affairs at Sciences Po on Tuesday (22 March 2022), at the invitation of Dean Arancha González Laya, former Minister of Foreign Affairs of Spain. The Deputy Secretary General was joined on the panel by Pascal Lamy, President of the Paris Peace Forum and former Director-General of the World Trade Organisation, Marie Mendras, Professor and Researcher in Russian and post-Soviet studies at Sciences Po, and Viktoriia Molnar, a Ukrainian PSIA student.
In his remarks, the Deputy Secretary General said that President Putin’s brutal and unprovoked invasion of Ukraine has shocked the world and shaken the international order. He added that the geopolitical implications of the invasion go far beyond Ukraine, making this a pivotal moment for our security.
The Deputy Secretary General outlined NATO’s swift and decisive response to the war in Ukraine, including Allies’ unprecedented sanctions on Russia; significant military, financial, and humanitarian aid to support Ukraine’s right to self-defence; and major reinforcements to NATO’s deterrence and defence, particularly in the eastern part of the Alliance.
He noted that Allies will send a strong message of NATO’s unity and solidarity with Ukraine at the NATO Summit on 24 March, adding that leaders will also focus on resetting NATO’s deterrence and defence for the longer term, bolstered by major investments in defence. Mr Geoană emphasised that NATO must and will continue to stand up for peace and security in a more dangerous and competitive world.