NATO Chief Mark Rutte Reaffirms Allied Unity at UNGA, Marks 25th Anniversary of 9/11 Attacks

NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte visited New York during the 81st General Assembly of the United Nations (UNGA) from Wednesday to Thursday, 23 – 24 September 2026.

Mr Rutte met political leaders and senior officials, holding discussions with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, ​Polish Foreign Minister Radosław Sikorski, Crown Prince of Kuwait Sabah Al-Khalid Al-Sabah, and former New York mayor Mike Bloomberg, among others.

During his visit,​The Secretary General delivered a speech commemorating the ​25th anniversary of the attacks on the United States on 9/11 at an event hosted by the 9/11 Memorial & Museum. Mr Rutte recalled the Allied response to the tragedy, invoking NATO’s Article 5 for the first and only time in history as a “testament to the solidarity that is the core of the NATO Alliance.” He recalled NATO’s active role in the aftermath of the attacks and underlined that NATO Allies continue to stand together today: “We remain united in our determination to safeguard freedom, protect from aggression, and ensure an attack like 9/11 will never ever happen again.”