Event Summary
MSC @ NATO Summit 2025
On the occasion of the 2025 NATO Summit, taking place in the Hague from June 24–25, 2025, the Munich Security Conference organized several events to advance discussions around transatlantic defense.
In partnership with the Netherlands Institute of International Relations Clingendael, the MSC created “NATO in the Huis” as a central venue for strategic dialogue. Bringing together key stakeholders from across the transatlantic community, this event hub provided a platform for partner organizations to host their own sessions in alignment with the NATO Summit’s themes. Debates in the Huis focused predominantly on the Russian threat to European security and how to secure NATO’s Eastern flank. A highlight was the roundtable discussion with Svitlana Tsikhanouskaya, Head of the United Transitional Cabinet of Belarus, that focused on exploring the escalating militarization of Belarus and its implications for regional security.
Additionally, the MSC and Clingendael hosted a Night Cap session with decision-makers to discuss Ukraine, NATO, and the shifting global order. During the Night Cap, government representatives discussed how to ensure continued support for Ukraine, analyzed NATO’s plans to increase defense spending and talked about the potential shifts in US force posture and their impact on European security.
In his concluding remarks, the President of the Foundation Council of the Munich Security Conference Foundation, Wolfgang Ischinger, highlighted the most important points of the evening and shared some final thoughts with the audience:
“It is not a one-way street: Europe needs to wake up to the fact that it is not just us supporting Ukraine. Ukraine is supporting us by fighting for our freedom.”
Wolfgang Ischinger•President of the Foundation Council of the Munich Security Conference Foundation
MSC Vice-Chairman and CEO, Benedikt Franke, interviewed NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte at the conference opening of the NATO Public Forum on Tuesday.
(Photo credit: NATO)
