WASHINGTON—Today, The Heritage Foundation welcomes NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg. The secretary-general will deliver remarks on the state of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization, underscoring the need for increased and sustained defense spending across the alliance, more balanced burden-sharing, and the ramping up of defense production to rise to the challenges of this pivotal moment, including the rising threats from China, Iran, Russia, and North Korea. 

Victoria Coates, vice president of the Davis Institute for National Security and Foreign Policy, commented on Stoltenberg’s visit: 

“As we approach the 75th anniversary of NATO’s founding—and the second anniversary of Vladimir Putin’s invasion of Ukraine—it is necessary to take a hard look at the alliance and how the great good it has worked can be strengthened to meet the many challenges we face today. We are pleased to welcome Secretary-General Stoltenberg to Heritage to engage in a robust discussion of NATO’s future.”

For more than seven decades, NATO has preserved peace and stability, promoted democratic values, and has been crucial in exploring pathways to confronting threats from adversaries.  

Heritage remains steadfast in its position that the American people need to be consulted on the effort to assist Ukraine to victory. This means that securing America’s border, prioritizing transparency, and implementing a strategic approach for victory are imperative prerequisites to the United States’ providing further aid to Ukraine, which must be standalone military funding, matched by America’s NATO allies. 

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