NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte held meetings in Iceland on Thursday during a visit that included discussions with Prime Minister Kristrún Frostadóttir and Foreign Minister Þorgerður Katrín Gunnarsdóttir, the organisation stated.
Rutte toured Keflavík Air Base and conducted an aerial inspection of the Grindavík lava barriers, which Icelandic authorities built to shield the town and nearby infrastructure from recurring volcanic activity. The release quoted him describing the structures as “impressive” and noting that Iceland’s response showed that “commitment, ingenuity and resilience matter.”
He thanked Iceland for what NATO described as strong contributions to the alliance and acknowledged the country’s first formal defence policy, recently presented to parliament. Rutte said Iceland’s geographic position supports security “at sea, below the surface, and in the air above” and cited its operation of air defence and surveillance systems within NATO’s Integrated Air and Missile Defence framework, as well as its hosting role at Keflavík for regular Air Policing.
The release said Rutte also highlighted Iceland’s backing for Ukraine. According to NATO, Iceland has provided more than eight million euros to the Prioritized Ukraine Requirement List and is contributing to the Danish defence industry model and the Czech Ammunition Initiative. It has also funded prosthetics for wounded Ukrainians and supports demining efforts with Lithuania.
Rutte described these actions as “concrete contributions that save lives and strengthen Ukraine’s defence and also send a clear signal to Moscow that Allies stand with Ukraine.” This was Rutte’s first trip to Iceland since assuming the post of Secretary General in October of the previous year.
