BRUSSELS, Belgium, July 1 -- NATO issued the following news:

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NATO Secretary General in Berlin: Germany leads and Germany delivers

On Wednesday (1 July 2026), NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte travelled to Germany for discussions with Chancellor Friedrich Merz and Defence Minister Boris Pistorius ahead of the NATO Summit in Ankara. Mr Rutte also attended a meeting of the German cabinet, the first time for a NATO Secretary General in recent history.