The more we help Ukraine at the moment, the sooner [the war] will end. The cost of supporting Ukraine is far, far lower, than the cost we would face … - Mark Rutte

Mark has the perfect background to become a great secretary-general. He has served as prime minister for 14 years and led four different coalition governments … therefore he knows how to make compromises, create consensus, and these are skills which are very much valued here at NATO.

Mark is a true transatlanticist, a strong leader and a consensus-builder. I wish him every success as we continue to strengthen NATO. I know I am leaving NATO in good hands.

On average, European countries easily spend up to a quarter of their national income on pensions, health and social security systems. We need a small fraction of that money to make our defences much stronger, and to preserve our way of life.