Speaking during a visit to Warsaw on Tuesday, Stoltenberg lauded Poland for its continued investment in defence spending and its procurement of key military capabilities, including F-35 aircraft, according to a report.
Stoltenberg said that 10,000 NATO troops based in Poland "send an unmistakable message" that the alliance will protect and defend all member states.
The NATO chief also noted Poland’s role in providing support to Ukraine, and hosting 1 million refugees, NATO said on its website.
Visiting the base of the Warsaw Armoured Brigade alongside Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk and UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, Stoltenberg welcomed Britain’s announcement of a major new package of military aid to Ukraine, which includes ammunition, air defence, drones and long-range precision-guided missiles.
Stoltenberg also welcomed Britain's plan to spend 2.5 percent of GDP on defence by 2030, saying that "once again, the UK is leading by example," according to the nato.int website.
At the Warsaw base, Stoltenberg greeted troops from the Queen’s Dragoon Guards, a cavalry regiment of the British army with more than 300 years of history, specializing in reconnaissance, the NATO website said.
Stoltenberg also said in Warsaw on Tuesday that he expected that the United States would remain a "strong and staunch" NATO ally regardless of whoever wins this year's presidential election in America, the Reuters news agency reported.
"The US will remain a strong and staunch ally," Stoltenberg told reporters.
"NATO is making the US safer and stronger," he added, as quoted by Reuters.
Stoltenberg said in a post on the X social media platform that his discussions with Tusk and Sunak focused on "deterrence and defence" as well as support for Ukraine.
The Polish Prime Minister's Office said that Tuesday's talks in Warsaw between Tusk, Sunak and Stoltenberg "focused primarily on security and cooperation as part of NATO."
Poland's Tusk said that he, Sunak and Stoltenberg agreed on Tuesday that "security is a top priority for Europe" amid Russia's war in Ukraine.
Russia invaded Ukraine on February 24, 2022, starting the largest armed conflict in Europe since World War II.
Tuesday is day 784 of Russia’s war on Ukraine.
(gs)
Source: IAR, PAP, gov.uk, nato.int