President Biden hosts NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg in the Oval Office.
Fuel your success with Forbes. Gain unlimited access to premium journalism, including breaking news, groundbreaking in-depth reported stories, daily digests and more. Plus, members get a front-row seat at members-only events with leading thinkers and doers, access to premium video that can help you get ahead, an ad-light experience, early access to select products including NFT drops and more:
https://account.forbes.com/membership/?utm_source=youtube&utm_medium=display&utm_campaign=growth_non-sub_paid_subscribe_ytdescript
Stay Connected
Forbes on Facebook: http://fb.com/forbes
Forbes Video on Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/forbes
Forbes Video on Instagram: http://instagram.com/forbes
More From Forbes: http://forbes.com
Fuel your success with Forbes. Gain unlimited access to premium journalism, including breaking news, groundbreaking in-depth reported stories, daily digests and more. Plus, members get a front-row seat at members-only events with leading thinkers and doers, access to premium video that can help you get ahead, an ad-light experience, early access to select products including NFT drops and more:
https://account.forbes.com/membership/?utm_source=youtube&utm_medium=display&utm_campaign=growth_non-sub_paid_subscribe_ytdescript
Stay Connected
Forbes on Facebook: http://fb.com/forbes
Forbes Video on Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/forbes
Forbes Video on Instagram: http://instagram.com/forbes
More From Forbes: http://forbes.com
Category
🗞
NewsTranscript
00:00Well, Mr. Secretary General, welcome back to the Oval Office.
00:07I have to say ahead of time, I'm going to miss you.
00:14I'm going to miss you.
00:17You know, I believe this is one of the most consequential moments for Europe since World
00:24War II.
00:25I think you do, too.
00:26NATO was founded 75 years ago, and I think the lessons we've learned then and by standing
00:34together to defend and deter aggression have been consequential.
00:39And we've made NATO, under your leadership, we've made it larger, stronger, and more united
00:47than it's ever been.
00:48So I want to thank you, Mr. Secretary General, for the incredible work you've done.
00:52Together, we've deterred further Russian aggression in Europe.
00:55I think we've – well, I know we've welcomed Finland and Sweden in the alliance.
00:59And we've strengthened NATO's eastern flank, making it clear that we'll defend
01:03every single inch of NATO territory.
01:06And, Jan, there was a very important announcement to make today, a record number of allies meeting
01:11a NATO commitment to at least 2 percent of their GDP on defense.
01:17And, in fact, the number has more than doubled since we took office – since I took office
01:22– and I look forward to building it all – on all of this progress next month when
01:27we have the 75th meeting here in Washington.
01:30And I look forward to our discussion today.
01:33I just want to thank you for being here.
01:34We've got a lot to talk about.
01:35And I mean it sincerely.
01:36You've been great.
01:38I just wish you'd extend your term another 10 years.
01:41You're doing a hell of a job.
01:42Cheers.
01:43Thank you.
01:45SECRETARY GENERAL STOLTENBERG President Biden, dear Joe, thank you so much
01:49for your warm words, and thank you so much for your personal commitment to NATO, to our
01:55transatlantic alliance.
01:57And also many thanks for hosting the NATO summit here in Washington, D.C., next month.
02:04At that summit, we will celebrate the 75th anniversary of the most successful alliance
02:10in history, but we'll also make important decisions for the future, not least on the
02:17issue and importance of investing in our security.
02:21And today, we are able to publish new figures for defense spending.
02:28They show that across Europe and Canada, NATO Allies are this year increasing defense spending
02:36by 18 percent.
02:38That's the biggest increase in decades.
02:42And 23 Allies are going to spend 2 percent of GDP or more on defense this year.
02:52That's more than twice as many as four years ago, and demonstrates that European Allies
02:58and Canada are really stepping up and taking their share of the common responsibility to
03:06protect all of us in the NATO Alliance.
03:12It's also important for the United States to know that a lot of this money is actually
03:16spent here in the United States.
03:19Allies are buying more and more equipment from the U.S., so NATO is good for U.S. security,
03:26but NATO is also good for U.S. jobs.
03:31Mr. President, let me also thank you for your strong leadership on Ukraine, and congratulations
03:37on the bilateral security agreement you signed with President Zelensky with Ukraine.
03:45European Allies are also stepping up and matching the U.S. contributions to military support
03:52to Ukraine.
03:54I expect that when we meet here next month, we will agree to have NATO in the lead role
04:02in providing security assistance and training, and also that Allies will agree to step up
04:10financial and military support to Ukraine.
04:13This will reduce the burden on the United States and strengthen our support to Ukraine.
04:21I think it's important to understand that the stronger our support for Ukraine is, the
04:25sooner this war can end, because the sooner President Putin will realize that he cannot
04:31wait those out.
04:33It is in support Ukraine is not charity.
04:36Support Ukraine is in our own security interest, and therefore I welcome the strong commitment
04:41of all NATO Allies to continue to support Ukraine.
04:45So once again, thank you so much.
04:47Thank you for once again hosting me here in the Oval Office, and I look very much forward
04:53to the NATO Summit in Washington, D.C. next month.
04:56Thank you.
04:58Thank you very much.
05:00Thank you very much.
05:01Thank you very much.
05:02Thank you very much.
05:03Thank you very much.
05:04Thank you very much.
05:05Thank you very much.
05:06Thank you very much.
05:07Thank you very much.
05:08Thank you very much.
05:09Thank you very much.
05:10Thank you very much.
05:11Thank you very much.
05:12Thank you very much.
05:13Thank you very much.
05:14Thank you very much.
05:15Thank you very much.
05:16Thank you very much.
05:17Thank you very much.
05:18Thank you very much.
05:19Thank you very much.
05:20Thank you very much.
05:21Thank you very much.
05:22Thank you very much.
05:23Thank you very much.
05:24Thank you very much.
05:25Thank you very much.
05:26Thank you very much.
05:27Thank you very much.
05:28Thank you very much.
05:29Thank you very much.
05:30Thank you very much.
05:31Thank you very much.
05:32Thank you very much.
05:33Thank you very much.
05:34Thank you very much.
05:35Thank you very much.
05:36Thank you very much.
05:37Thank you very much.
05:38Thank you very much.
05:39Thank you very much.
05:40Thank you very much.
05:41Thank you very much.
05:42Thank you very much.
05:43Thank you very much.
05:44Thank you very much.
05:45Thank you very much.
05:46Thank you very much.
05:47Thank you very much.
05:48Thank you very much.
05:49Thank you very much.
05:50Thank you very much.
05:51Thank you very much.
05:52Thank you very much.
05:53Thank you very much.
05:54Thank you very much.
05:55Thank you very much.
05:56Thank you very much.
05:57Thank you very much.