JUST IN: Secretary General of NATO Jens Stoltenberg Holds Press Conference During NATO Summit

3 months ago

On Wednesday, Secretary General of NATO Jens Stoltenberg held a press conference.

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Transcript

00:00FOREIGN MINISTER STEINMEIER, GERMANY Good evening, everyone.

00:07We'll hear from the Secretary-General.

00:08SECRETARY-GENERAL STOLTENBERG, GERMANY Good afternoon.

00:09It's good to see you all.

00:10We have just concluded the meeting of the North Atlantic Council at the level of heads

00:20of state and government.

00:22We took important decisions to make NATO stronger and Allies safer, and to ensure that we are

00:29ready to share the burden of maintaining our security.

00:34First on the terms of defense, we have deployed combat-ready forces on NATO's eastern flank,

00:41put in place the most comprehensive defense plan since the Cold War, and we now have over

00:47500,000 forces at high readiness in the Alliance.

00:54Today we decided to adapt NATO's command structure, improve our integrated air and

01:00missile defense systems, and to go further to match our defense plans with the necessary

01:06capabilities.

01:07All of this has been made possible by historic increases in defense investment across the

01:14Alliance.

01:16When we made the pledge to invest 2 percent of GDP in defense back in 2014 at the NATO

01:26summit, only three Allies met the mark.

01:30Today, 23 Allies are investing at least 2 percent of GDP in defense, a record high number.

01:39This also brings the total defense spending of European Allies and Canada above the 2

01:46percent target.

01:47So we have delivered.

01:50At the same time, we recognize that more is needed, including to ensure we can produce

01:56key capabilities.

01:58So today, Allies agreed a pledge that will strengthen transatlantic defense industrial

02:04cooperation to boost production.

02:07Allies also agreed to strengthen our air and missile defenses, including with the new Aegis

02:14Ashore ballistic missile defense base in Poland.

02:19Second, on Ukraine, we will meet President Zelensky tomorrow in the NATO-Ukraine Council,

02:26but today we took major decisions to further strengthen our support and to share the burden.

02:35We agreed to launch NATO security assistance and training for Ukraine.

02:40We will take over the coordination and provision of most of the international security assistance

02:46to Ukraine, with a command led by a three-star general and around 700 personnel working at

02:55NATO headquarters in Germany and at hubs in the eastern part of the Alliance to provide

03:02the support to Ukraine.

03:05NATO will coordinate the training of Ukrainian forces and facilities in Allied countries.

03:13We will support Ukraine by planning and coordinating donations, and we'll manage the transfer and

03:20repair of equipment.

03:22We will also provide support to the long-term development of Ukraine's armed forces.

03:29This will not make NATO party to the conflict, but it will help Ukraine to uphold its right

03:35to self-defense.

03:36We also agreed a financial pledge, helping Ukraine to build a force capable of defeating

03:44Russian aggression today and deterring it tomorrow.

03:49We have agreed that 40 billion euros is a minimum baseline within the next year and

03:56to ensure sustainable funding for Ukraine to prevail.

04:01We also agreed to review this at our summit in 2025, not least to ensure it continues

04:08to meet Ukraine's needs.

04:10We are not doing this because we want to prolong a war.

04:15We are doing this because we want to end the war as soon as possible.

04:20The quickest way to end the war is to lose the war, but that will not bring peace.

04:27It will only bring occupation.

04:30So unless we want Ukraine to lose, unless we want to bow to Putin, we need to show commitment

04:38and resolve.

04:40The more credible and enduring our support, the quicker Moscow will realize it cannot

04:47wait us out, and the sooner the war can end.

04:53In our meeting, we also decided to take further steps to bring Ukraine even closer to NATO.

05:01As Ukraine continues its vital reforms, we will continue to support them on the irreversible

05:08path to NATO membership.

05:11The work we are doing together now will ensure that when the time is right, Ukraine can join

05:18without delay.

05:19It is not a question of if, but when.

05:23Finally, in this dangerous world, friends and partners are more important than ever.

05:30So today, we agreed to continue to strengthen our partnerships, especially in the Indo-Pacific.

05:36Security is global, not regional.

05:39Since war is fueled by those who do not share our values, Iran and North Korea provide direct

05:46military support, while China is propping up Russia's war economy.

05:53This is not just a temporary collision of convenience.

05:57It is a major strategic shift, and we must remain clear-eyed as to the threat it poses.

06:07As NATO Allies agreed today in our summit declaration, China has become a decisive enabler

06:16of Russia's war against Ukraine, and China's support increases the threat Russia poses

06:23to Euro-Atlantic security.

06:27Allies have stated clearly that China cannot enable the largest conflict in Europe in recent

06:34history without this negatively impacting their interest and reputation.

06:40Tomorrow, NATO Allies will meet with our four Indo-Pacific partners and the European Union,

06:47and we will continue to deepen our cooperation in addressing shared challenges.

06:52On that, I'm ready to take your questions.

06:56MODERATOR Okay.

06:57We'll give the first question to Fats, over there.

07:03QUESTION Thanks a lot.

07:04Thomas Buczka, Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung.

07:05Secretary General, you have just referred to this sentence in the declaration, which

07:13reads the People's Republic of China cannot enable the largest war in Europe in recent

07:18history without this negatively impacting its interest and reputation.

07:23So my question to you, which specific measures do you deem appropriate to bring this message

07:32across to Beijing?

07:33And in your view, would sector-specific sanctions be justified instead of what the EU is doing

07:42now, just putting restrictions on a small number of companies doing trade between the

07:49EU and Russia?

07:50Thank you.

07:51JENS STOLTENBERG So first of all, I think it's important to

07:53recognize the importance of that 32 Allies have stated this so clearly, that the 32 Allies

08:00have stated very clearly that China is a decisive enabler of Russia's illegal war against

08:09Ukraine.

08:10We represent 50 percent of the world economy together, and it's the first time that all

08:16NATO Allies states this so clearly in an agreed document.

08:20Second, of course, it puts the focus on China as an important enabler of Russia's war.

08:29China provides dual-use equipment, microelectronics, a lot of other tools which are enabling Russia

08:39to build the missiles, to build the bombs, to build the aircraft, to build the weapons

08:44they are using to attack Ukraine.

08:47And the fact that this is now clearly stated, agreed by all NATO Allies, is an important

08:56message to China.

09:01And then, of course, we also then state that it cannot continue like this without this

09:07impacting the interests and the reputation of China.

09:13Of course, at the end of the day, this will be for individual Allies to make decisions,

09:19but I think the message sent from NATO from this summit is very strong and very clear,

09:26and we are clearly defining China's responsibility when it comes to enabling Russia's war aggression

09:35against Ukraine.

09:36MODERATOR Okay, thank you.

09:38I'll go to NBC.

09:41QUESTION Thank you so much, Mr. Secretary General.

09:52In your communique, you talk about strengthening support for Ukraine, and it's demonstrably

09:57done here at this anniversary celebration.

10:00But President Zelensky has argued in his speech last night again that they need the ability

10:08to conduct deep strikes across the border into Russia, 150 to 500 kilometers.

10:15They say that there is no other way other than attacking those jet bases, that they

10:19know where the bases are, that they can take them out, and that the evidence – and certainly

10:25the evidence, most people would agree, of Vladimir Putin not needing any more indication

10:37of escalating – is his own attack on Kyiv, the attack on the Children's Hospital this

10:42week, which Zelensky said was a signal to NATO members as – on the eve of NATO arriving

10:49here.

10:50And I also wanted to ask you about, in light of the importance of Ukraine to NATO, what

10:58concerns do you and other members have – the members have about the possibility of electing

11:05someone to lead the United States, who said as recently as last night that before he was

11:11president he didn't know what NATO was, and still is criticizing the Europeans for

11:17not doing enough, when Europe is doing 2 percent and some are doing more?

11:23Thank you.

11:24Thank you.

11:25Thank you so much.

11:26Well, I can answer the last question first.

11:28I expect the United States to remain a staunch and, of course, important NATO ally, just

11:36by the fact that the United States is by far the biggest ally.

11:39I expect that for at least three reasons.

11:44One is that it is in the security interest of the United States to have a strong NATO.

11:50The United States becomes stronger and safer with NATO than without.

11:55The United States has in NATO something no other major power has, and that is more than

12:0030 friends and allies.

12:01Russia doesn't have that.

12:02China doesn't have that.

12:03The United States has that.

12:04And the United States is, of course, big – 25 percent of the world's economy.

12:05But if you add together all NATO allies, then we have 50 percent of the world economy – twice

12:18as big – 50 percent of the world's midterm right.

12:21So especially in times where the United States is concerned about the China and other military

12:26capabilities or economic might, it is even more important to keep NATO with all its friends

12:31and allies.

12:32So that's the first reason.

12:33I strongly believe that countries acting according to their interests, and it is the U.S. security

12:39interest to keep NATO.

12:40A strong NATO is good for Europe, but it's also very good for the United States.

12:44The only time I wrote Article 5 was after an attack on the United States.

12:49The second reason why I expect that the United States will remain loyal ally is that there

12:57is broad bipartisan support to NATO.

13:01There have just been new opinion polls published, and they reiterate or show once again that

13:11there is strong support across the United States for NATO.

13:16And I visited the Senate this morning.

13:19I met with a lot of senators, but also yesterday I met with the representatives in the House

13:26of Representatives.

13:27Bipartisan, I met with Speaker Mike Johnson, I met with a broad group of senators this

13:35morning from both parties, and they all repeat the same, that NATO is important for the United

13:41States.

13:42So I think that in Congress, in the Senate and the House of Representatives, there is

13:46strong bipartisan support for NATO.

13:48That's the second reason why I expect the United States to remain a loyal ally.

13:55But the third reason is that the main criticism from former President Trump, but also from

14:02other U.S. presidents, has not primarily been against NATO.

14:08It has been against NATO allies not investing enough in NATO.

14:13And that has changed.

14:14The clear message has had an impact, because now allies are really stepping up.

14:23Just three years ago, less than 10 allies spent 2 percent of GDP on defense.

14:29When we made the pledge in 2014, it was only three allies.

14:32Now it's 23 allies, and those allies are not yet at 2 percent, have plans in place

14:38to be there.

14:39So this is a totally different world.

14:41The message from the United States has been understood, and allies have acted.

14:47So for these reasons, it is in the U.S. security interest to have a strong NATO, there is strong

14:51bipartisan support for NATO in the United States, and European allies can actually address

14:57the main criticism from the United States.

15:00The lack of burden sharing has been addressed, and allies will continue to address it.

15:06So that's the first or the last question.

15:09There is one more, and that is about strikes against legitimate military targets on the

15:18territory of Russia.

15:19We need to remember what this is.

15:20This is a war of aggression.

15:23Russia has attacked a neighbor, violated their territorial integrity, invaded Ukraine with

15:30troops, missiles, tanks, airstrikes.

15:36That's a violation of international law.

15:38According to international law, Ukraine has the right for self-defense.

15:44We are helping them to uphold the right of self-defense by delivering weapons, ammunition,

15:51missiles, some also in long range, including cruise missiles, attack guns.

16:00The right of self-defense includes the right to strike legitimate military targets on the

16:07territory of the aggressor, Russia.

16:10And allies have imposed different kinds of restrictions.

16:13Some have no restrictions at all, but the reality is that allies have provided Ukraine

16:17with the weapons and also enabled Ukraine to also strike targets on the territory of

16:27Russia.

16:29The restrictions varies, but there are allies who have opened up for that.

16:33And I think the United States should speak on behalf of the United States, but I think

16:38it's well known that there have been some reduced restrictions, have lifted some of

16:46the restrictions, because you have now the new offensive in Kharkiv, where the front

16:50line and the border line between Russia and Ukraine is almost the same.

16:55Of course, until now, most of the fighting took place on Ukrainian territory.

16:59So then to hit beyond the front line was to actually hit Ukrainian territory.

17:02But now, when you have the new front in Kharkiv, the only way to hit actually artillery or

17:10airfields, which are conducting almost daily attacks against Ukrainian territory, is to

17:15actually hit them at the territory of Russia.

17:18And allies have made that possible.

17:22Thank you.

17:23I'll go to Voice of America.

17:24Carla, over there.

17:30Thank you, Mr. Secretary General.

17:32Carla with Voice of America.

17:33First, to follow up on my colleague, you had said that the communique's wording on China

17:38is an important message for China to hear.

17:41But is it a strong enough message to deter China from continuing to support Russia?

17:46And then on the Insatu that you've been announcing, can you tell us who will be the three-star

17:50general in charge of the NATO security assistance and training for Ukraine, and when will that

17:55mission in Wiesbaden, Germany begin?

17:59The declaration we have agreed today is the strongest message NATO allies have ever sent

18:08on China's contributions to Russia's illegal war against Ukraine.

18:14So that in itself is a strong message.

18:17I will describe it and will also make it clear that this will impact China's interests.

18:26So this is a strong and very clear message from NATO allies.

18:32Then General Cavoli, who is the U.S. commander in Europe, but also the NATO supreme commander,

18:42Sarkar, he is dual-hatted.

18:44He has been responsible for the U.S.-led command that has enabled the provision of training

18:53to Ukraine up to now.

18:56So this is very much that NATO will take over those responsibilities and step up and do

19:01more compared to what we did before as NATO.

19:08So this will be something that will happen almost seamlessly.

19:11I know that General Cavoli has planned this for a long time.

19:15He was actually the general, the commander that gave us the plan to set up this command.

19:22I'm not able to tell you exactly now when, but this will happen soon, and we are very

19:29well prepared to take over responsibility for the activities in Wiesbaden and also at

19:35the hubs.

19:37And I'm also careful naming a special – so there will be three sergeants, general, and

19:42also that is in process.

19:44MODERATOR Okay, thank you.

19:46I'll go to Jordan News Agency.

19:58QUESTION I'm Mohammad Shahbool from Jordan News Agency.

20:01Mr. Secretary General, how will the opening a NATO office in Amman strengthen the NATO's

20:07partnership with the South and in Jordan – and Jordan in particular?

20:12And how will it help to face the growing challenges in the South towards the abilities of the

20:20partner in the South?

20:22Thank you.

20:23SECRETARY GENERAL First of all, I welcome and mention that all

20:25allies now have agreed that we will have a NATO-led office in Amman, and this marks a

20:32significant milestone in the strategic partnership between Jordan and NATO.

20:40This is an issue that I also discussed last time King Abdullah visited NATO.

20:47We had a good meeting there.

20:48And of course, Jordan is a longstanding, highly valued NATO partner, and by establishing the

20:57NATO-led office, we are bringing this partnership to a new level.

21:01It also demonstrates that NATO actually addresses the threats and the challenges, but also the

21:06opportunities that emanates from the Middle East, from North Africa.

21:13Of course, we see terrorist threats, we see instability, but we also see opportunities

21:18working more closely with our partners, including Jordan, but also have partners like Tunisia,

21:24we have Mauritania, we have something called the Mediterranean Dialogue, we have the Gulf

21:29countries, and of course, we also have Iraq, where NATO has a training and a capacity-building

21:35mission, and we are now stepping up what we also do with other partners in North Africa

21:41and the Middle East.

21:42To address many challenges, we see more Russian and Chinese presence.

21:48We also see a constant threat of terrorism, and we have just received or appointed a group

21:55of experts some months ago to put forward proposals on how NATO can address these challenges

22:01in a more systematic way.

22:02And we have received a report and have agreed to many of the recommendations, and we now

22:07have the liaison office in Amman.

22:11Okay.

22:12Andrea Thunberg.

22:16Secretary General, I want to come back to China.

22:20So apart from the unprecedentedly strong wording we can expect from the alliance, what repercussions

22:26is NATO considering should China decide to take things one step further and to send

22:31direct military aid to Russia?

22:35So I didn't understand the last part of the question.

22:38Send the military aid?

22:41So if China were to send direct military aid?

22:47Well, that will make the whole thing much more serious, but the challenge now is that

22:52the difference between sending military weapons and doing what China already does is not that

23:00big, because they provide the tools, the equipment, the technology, the microprocessors,

23:07the microelectronics that Russia needs to put together these weapons systems.

23:13So, of course, there is a difference, and it will be very serious if they start to deliver

23:19lethal weapons, but it is also, of course, a great concern that they enable China – sorry,

23:26China enables Russia to construct and build the weapons they're using against Ukraine.

23:34And that's – the important thing is that this is the first time 32 allies representing

23:3850 percent of the world economy states this so clearly.

23:41Then NATO is not an organization that in a way imposes economic sanctions.

23:47That's for allies and EU and other institutions to do, but we represent now 32 nations, which

23:54are stating this so clearly, and also on the fact that it will impact its – China's

24:00interests if this continues.

24:03Okay.

24:04We'll go to Reuters.

24:07Andrew?

24:11Andrew Gray from Reuters.

24:12Secretary General, you have said and the allies have said in their statement today in the

24:16declaration that the path for Ukraine to NATO is irreversible.

24:21Can you explain how and why it's irreversible?

24:24Surely, if a country goes back on reforms, reneges on commitments, by definition it is

24:30going backwards, it is reversing its path.

24:33That's not to say that's what Ukraine is doing now, but surely you can't rule it

24:37out in the future.

24:38So in what sense is it irreversible?

24:41In the way that this is a strong message from NATO allies that we really want Ukraine to

24:47join and that we are working with Ukraine to make that happen.

24:51Words are important, and words creates expectation, creates an agenda, defines an ambition.

25:02But of course, as important as words, the language in the declaration is actually what

25:07we then have agreed to do.

25:09So in many ways, action speaks at least as loudly as words.

25:15So I think you need to understand the declaration with reference to irreversible path to membership

25:21together with what we do.

25:23The fact that NATO is now taking over the coordination of most of the international

25:28aid and training is important also to help Ukraine move towards NATO membership.

25:33The fact that we have a long-term commitment moves them closer to NATO membership.

25:40Everything we do on interoperability, ensuring that Ukrainian armed forces meet the NATO

25:47standards, the NATO doctrines, also help them to move closer to membership.

25:52We have – we have agreed to establish a new Joint Analysis and Training Center in

25:58Poland that will help us to move closer.

26:01And of course, the fact that allies are, for instance, delivering F-16s and many other

26:06types of weapons, that doesn't only mean that we're delivering F-16s, but that comes

26:11to a lot of training where we will then share our doctrines, our thinking, and that will

26:18also help them to build a future air force which will then be absolutely interoperable

26:23with NATO.

26:24So the full package we have with Ukraine, with the NATO command, the long-term pledge,

26:33the delivery of new – more weapons, including more F-16s, the bilateral security agreements,

26:41and the package on interoperability, all of that constitutes, as we call it, a bridge

26:47to membership.

26:48These are concrete actions that will bring Ukraine closer to membership and demonstrate

26:53that this will be a reversible path.

26:56MODERATOR Okay.

26:58We'll take one final question.

27:01We'll give it to the BBC.

27:03Over there.

27:05QUESTION Thank you, Secretary General.

27:07You said in your initial remarks that you are not concerned about U.S. commitment to

27:12NATO in the future, even if there was a change in administration.

27:15But NATO, of course, is made up of, as you mentioned, 32 countries.

27:19I'm wondering how much those domestic U.S. considerations came up in discussions today,

27:24given – it's quite inescapable looking at just the U.S. media landscape, the fact

27:30that one candidate is very enthused about NATO and one is publicly much less enthused.

27:35What kind of concern are you getting from member states about this issue, even if you

27:41yourself say you're confident?

27:48SECRETARY GENERAL JENS STOLTENBERG NATO is the most successful alliance in

27:50history because we have been able to stay out of domestic political debates.

27:56And it is important for me to continue to do what I can to ensure that continues to

28:01be the case.

28:04Second, we have had many – we have many, many examples of concerns about elections

28:11that will lead to new support for NATO.

28:16I just read an article about when you had a new government in Portugal in 1975, after

28:20years of dictatorship, there were a lot of concern across the alliance that this new

28:24government will not support NATO.

28:26It turned out to be a very strong supporter of NATO, the new government.

28:30We had some left parties entering into government in Europe in the 70s and 80s.

28:35Again, a lot of concern, but they turned out to be very supportive of NATO.

28:39And I, for my second government in 2005, that was a coalition government with the left-socialist

28:45part of Norway.

28:47Concerns about that my government was not reliable when it comes to NATO.

28:51It was a very unreliable government on NATO issues, and it bought a lot of F-35s.

28:57So I'm not saying that we can always just disregard concerns.

29:03And if you can listen to the speech I gave yesterday, the main message in that speech

29:08is that NATO is not a given in 49, it is not a given now, and it's not a given in the

29:13future, but I expect NATO to continue as the strongest and most successful alliance in

29:19history, because it is in the interest of us to stay together.

29:22And the more dangerous the world is, the more obvious it is that we need NATO.

29:26So the paradox is, in a way, that since we now live in a more dangerous world, I'm actually

29:31even more strongly in my conviction that we can expect that this alliance will continue.

29:37It's a bit like in marriage.

29:39You have to, in a way, commit every day.

29:41But it has proven extremely reliable, this alliance, because it is really in the interest

29:49of all allies to stand together, and that also applies for the United States, because

29:57the United States is stronger and safer with NATO.

30:03And that's just why I expect the United States to remain a staunch NATO ally.

30:10And I'm afraid we have to conclude the press conference, but there will be other opportunities

30:14to engage with the Secretary General.

30:16Thank you very much, and we'll see you tomorrow.

30:18Thank you.

30:19Thank you so much.

JUST IN: Secretary General of NATO Jens Stoltenberg Holds Press Conference During NATO Summit

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