NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte, visiting Slovenia for the occasion, praised the country’s “credible” plan to gradually raise defence spending to 3% of GDP by 2030.
Around 250 lawmakers from 46 countries attended the four-day session, where key policy recommendations were adopted, including stronger deterrence on NATO’s eastern flank, expanded support for Ukraine, investment in emerging technologies, and bolstered air and missile defences.
Rutte stressed the role of legislators in meeting defence targets, while Slovenian Prime Minister Robert Golob highlighted the importance of people, alongside equipment, in ensuring security.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, speaking via videolink, urged continued supply of air defence systems and missiles, tighter sanctions on Russia, and support for NATO’s PURL initiative, which Slovenia joined in September. The session also focused on stability in the Western Balkans and the Southern Neighbourhood, with calls for increased NATO-EU cooperation. Kosovo President Vjosa Osmani received the 2025 Women for Peace and Security Award during the assembly. The event was accompanied by a small anti-NATO protest in Ljubljana.
