European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte met for the first time since the latter took office. Their discussion – according to a statement – focused on the importance of a close and strategic partnership between NATO and the European Union. “Both agreed that in an increasingly dangerous world, this partnership is vital in order to champion and safeguard peace, freedom and prosperity”. “Russia’s war of aggression on European soil is the single biggest threat to peace and security on the European continent”, they said. Von der Leyen and Rutte both stressed that “the deployment of North Korean soldiers in support of Russia’s war of aggression represented a significant escalation of the war against Ukraine as well as a serious threat to European security and global peace”. They also discussed the “growing assertiveness of authoritarian states on the world’s stage. These states challenge our common interests, values and democratic principles, using multiple means – political, economic, technological and military. To address the evolving threats and challenges”, von der Leyen and Rutte agreed to set up “a new high-level task force to strengthen the existing NATO-EU cooperation”, which is expected to hold its first meeting in the coming weeks.