In a press release dated 16 September 2026, 10 Downing Street said the Prime Minister hosted NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte that afternoon at the Harwell Science and Innovation Campus. The Prime Minister thanked Rutte for visiting Oxford and highlighting regional defence businesses, and the two agreed the UK was a leader in defence technology. They discussed how the UK could further support innovation within NATO so the Alliance had the forces of the future across all domains.

The Prime Minister said the new national space strategy, released the previous week, would further enhance UK innovation and resilience in the space domain. On Ukraine, he reflected on his visit to Kyiv the previous month and said he was focused on supporting diplomatic efforts to secure further air defence for the country. Rutte thanked him for the UK’s £100m PURL funding contribution for further defensive equipment, announced the previous week.

On the Middle East, both underlined the importance of long-term stability and security in the region. The leaders said they looked forward to speaking again soon.