Looking back on Tuesday 24 June, the start of the 2025 NATO Summit in The Hague
The 2025 NATO Summit officially opened today in The Hague. Heads of government, ministers, experts and defence industry representatives as well as young people, academics and opinion leaders came together at various locations to discuss security, cooperation and innovation. Below is an overview of the day’s main events.
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NATO Public Forum – live on YouTube
The two-day NATO Public Forum began today and is being broadcast live online for everyone to watch. Participants from the Netherlands and around the world, including heads of government, ministers, young people, academics and opinion leaders discussed the themes of this year’s Summit and developments in the world that affect our security.
On Wednesday 25 June the Forum will again be broadcast live on the Ministry of Foreign Affairs’ YouTube channel under NATO Public Forum Live. More information about the programme is available at www.natopublicforum.org.
Meeting between defence ministers and industry
The NATO Summit Defence Industry Forum also took place today. Ministers, experts and business leaders from NATO countries came together to discuss how the defence industry can quickly be scaled up and strengthened. The goal is a stronger, sustainable and future-proof defence industry.
Meeting between NATO, EU and Ukraine
NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte and the EU and Ukraine met for talks in The Hague.
President Zelenskyy visits House of Representatives and Prime Minister
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy visited the House of Representatives, where he addressed members of parliament. In the morning, he had a special meeting with Prime Minister Dick Schoof at the Catshuis. This visit was not part of the official summit programme.
Royal dinner at Huis ten Bosch Palace
On Tuesday evening, King Willem-Alexander and Queen Máxima hosted heads of state and government from NATO countries for an informal dinner. Leaders from Australia, New Zealand and Ukraine were also present, as was South Korea’s national security director and the presidents of the European Commission and the European Council.
Working dinners for ministers of NATO countries
Foreign ministers met for a working dinner of the NATO-Ukraine Council. At the same time, defence ministers convened for a working dinner of the North Atlantic Council. Both meetings took place at World Forum in The Hague and were preceded by a joint reception.
The 2025 NATO Summit will continue on Wednesday 25 June at the World Forum in The Hague.
Originally published at https://www.government.nl/latest/news/2025/06/24/looking-back-day-1-nato-summit
