Jens Stoltenberg given highest US civilian honour for NATO leadership

The outgoing NATO secretary general, Jens Stoltenberg, was handed the US Presidential Medal of Freedom personally by President Joe Biden on Tuesday, at the opening ceremony for a summit of the defence alliance in Washington.

"Secretary, you've guided this alliance through one of the most consequential periods in its history," Biden said. The Presidential Medal of Freedom is United States' highest civilian honour.

"When the Russia war in Ukraine began, you didn't hesitate. Today, NATO is stronger, smarter, and more energized than when you began," Biden told Stoltenberg. "And a billion people across Europe and North America - indeed, the whole world - will reap the rewards of your labour for years to come in the form of security, opportunity, and greater freedom."

Biden praised Stoltenberg's "calm temperament" and described him as a "man of integrity and intellectual rigour" and a "consummate diplomat."

Stoltenberg has led the alliance since 2014, and will be succeeded in the role in October by former Dutch prime minister Mark Rutte.