NATO’s new 5% of GDP defence pledge shows renewed unity and focus on collective security, Deputy Secretary General Radmila Shekerinska told AnewZ in an exclusive interview. It came as U.S. President Donald Trump used his WEF address to again claim credit for pushing allies to lift defence spending.
During the World Economic Forum in Davos, Donald Trump and NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte discussed Arctic security and Greenland, with the U.S. President signalling that new tariffs on European allies were unnecessary for the time being.
"Actually, from what I heard and read after Davos and this meeting between the Secretary General and the U.S. President, it was quite a lot of praise from both sides, because it was really seen as an effort of thoughtful diplomacy to actually come up with agreement on many things," Shekerinska told AnewZ Editor-in-Chief Guy Shone in an exclusive sit-down interview.
Shekerinska noted NATO’s focus on collective security in the Arctic amid increased Russian and Chinese activity.
“Out of the eight Arctic countries, seven are NATO allies. Our approach has been to focus on what we can do more in order to support our collective security by protecting the Arctic,” she explained, citing Russia’s reopening of Soviet-era military sites, deep-water ports, and new airfields, as well as China’s growing presence in the region.
The Deputy Secretary General stated that the promise to increase defence spending within the alliance, reflects “a razor-focused approach on security, on stronger defence and deterrence,” signalling a new era of unity and burden-sharing within NATO.
“U.S. President Trump was very clear that he expects European allies and Canada to really take a balanced part of the weight when it comes to security,” she said.
The Deputy Secretary General stressed that the 5% GDP pledge demonstrates both commitment and credibility in the face of growing global threats, including from Russia and terrorism.
Shekerinska also highlighted NATO’s longstanding partnership with Azerbaijan. “We have a history of three decades of partnership with Azerbaijan. They have both profited from this partnership, but also contributed to the partnership,” she said, referencing Azerbaijan’s involvement in NATO missions in Afghanistan and contributions to human security initiatives, such as demining and defence education programmes.
The Deputy Secretary General added that NATO is formalising this cooperation through a new Individually Tailored Partnership Program (ITPP), designed to enhance bilateral relations and foster regional stability.
She also welcomed recent breakthroughs in Armenia–Azerbaijan relations, describing the peace negotiations as “a concrete contribution” to regional security.
Despite criticism of multilateral organisations in recent years, Shekerinska emphasised that NATO’s focus on core security priorities and its adaptability has reinforced its relevance.
“Every time people start posing the question about NATO’s future, we end up with a solution, meaning more NATO, not less NATO,” she said, underlining the alliance’s assuredness in confronting today’s global challenges.
“NATO is prepared for the future and facing it with strong self-confidence,” Shekerinska concluded.
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The collective-defence agreement between Türkiye, Saudi Arabia and Pakistan signals that regional powers no longer want to rely solely on external security guarantees. Whether it becomes a stabilising deterrent or another axis of rivalry remains unresolved.
Shipping through the Strait of Hormuz has slowed, according to the latest data, as uncertainty over the waterway’s reopening kept most shipowners away. Six commodity vessels crossed the strait on Tuesday, down from nine the day before and below the 10-day daily average of 11.
Shipping traffic through the Strait of Hormuz remains limited on Thursday, with no increase in vessel crossings as U.S.-Iran talks to resolve the conflict remained stalled. Nine commodity vessels transited the key waterway on Wednesday, unchanged from the previous day, according to Kpler data.
Iran has said the Strait of Hormuz will remain closed until the U.S. fulfils the terms of an interim deal, including lifting the maritime blockade and sanctions and releasing Iran’s frozen assets.
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Australia on Thursday condemned Israel’s decision to close its criminal investigation into the deaths of Australian aid worker Zomi Frankcom and six World Central Kitchen colleagues killed in Gaza in April 2024.
Shipping traffic through the Strait of Hormuz remains limited on Thursday, with no increase in vessel crossings as U.S.-Iran talks to resolve the conflict remained stalled. Nine commodity vessels transited the key waterway on Wednesday, unchanged from the previous day, according to Kpler data.
North Korea has fired more than 10 short-range ballistic missiles after U.S. President Donald Trump reduced American participation in joint military exercises with South Korea in an effort to revive dialogue with Pyongyang.
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