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00:00Good afternoon.
00:07And it has been a very busy 24 hours.
00:11A lot has happened.
00:13And it was very good to be able to consult among NATO Allies and Ukraine here at NATO.
00:20Let me begin by expressing my shock and sadness at the news coming out of Munich, where many
00:28people have been injured in what appears to have been a deliberate attack.
00:35We stand in solidarity with our Allied Germany.
00:39And our thoughts are with the victims and their loved ones.
00:44Here at NATO, I was glad to welcome the new U.S. Secretary of Defense, Pete Hacksett,
00:49to NATO for the first time.
00:52Secretary Hacksett came with a clear message of America's enduring commitment to a strong
00:58NATO Alliance.
01:00And of America's clear expectations for all Allies to carry their fair share of the
01:06burden.
01:07We also discussed the situation in Ukraine, together with Minister Umerov.
01:14All Allies and Ukraine are united in their desire for peace in Ukraine.
01:19We all agree that we need to put Ukraine in the best possible position for negotiations.
01:26And we need a durable and lasting peace, not a Minsk Three.
01:33So we had an excellent set of discussions, focused on the urgent work ahead.
01:38When it comes to keeping our deterrence and defence strong, we endorsed robust defence
01:44plans drawn up by Supreme Allied Commander General Cavoli to protect our one billion
01:50people.
01:52To ensure we are fully ready to execute these plans, also in the future, we need more military
01:58capabilities.
01:59And for that, we need significantly more defence spending.
02:04So there is no time to waste.
02:06Our continued freedom and prosperity depend on it.
02:10Defence spending is already growing.
02:12Since 2014, European Allies and Canada have added more than 700 billion additional US
02:18dollars for defence.
02:20In 2024, NATO Allies in Europe and Canada invested 485 billion US dollars in defence,
02:28a 20% increase compared with 2023.
02:33With a full two-thirds of Allies spending at least 2% of their GDP on defence.
02:38But we need to do more.
02:41Much more.
02:42And we need to do it faster.
02:45It is clear from our discussions today that Allies recognise the need to invest much more.
02:50Several announced large increases in spending in today's meeting.
02:55And I expect many ministers to return home from today's meeting with an even greater
03:00sense of urgency.
03:03We also discussed the need to ramp up defence production as we ramp up defence spending.
03:10Our industry must be able to produce what our extra money allows us to procure.
03:16We have already seen a significant increase in defence production across the Alliance
03:20in recent years.
03:22We are producing more and faster than at any time in decades.
03:27But we can and must do more.
03:31To ensure the credibility of our deterrence and defence for years to come, we need to
03:36shift to a wartime mindset.
03:39And we need industry to shift with us.
03:43Industry has taken steps to improve production capacity.
03:47But they can do better.
03:48The demand signals are clear.
03:50And they'll continue to grow.
03:53Today we agreed an updated action plan to rebuild a strong defence industry on both
03:58sides of the Atlantic.
04:00A robust defence industry will make the Alliance stronger and create more jobs in Europe and
04:06North America.
04:09Allies also met with Ukraine in the NATO-Ukraine Council.
04:13And we were joined by the EU High Representative Kaya Kalas.
04:18Defence Minister Umarov briefed Allies on the latest developments on the ground.
04:23And Allies took note of President Trump's initiative for peace talks, which Secretary
04:29Haxsat had already outlined in our consultations within the UDCG yesterday afternoon.
04:36We discussed the importance of our continued support to Ukraine, which is crucial so that
04:42this brutal war of aggression can come to a just and lasting end.
04:47And we discussed the need for European Allies and Canada to do even more.
04:52In 2024, NATO Allies provided over 50 billion euros in security assistance to Ukraine, nearly
05:0060 percent of this coming from Europe and Canada.
05:04This is well above the 40 billion that we had pledged for the year.
05:08The newly established NATO Command in Wiesbaden, Germany, is at the forefront of coordinating
05:13these contributions.
05:16This command is now operational and is doing important work.
05:20And Allies announced new military support packages yesterday and today.
05:25This will help Ukraine in its fight today and to build up Ukraine's armed forces in
05:30the long term.
05:32All of this sends a clear signal that Europe and Canada are taking on a greater proportion
05:39of the transatlantic burden-sharing.
05:42So we had an honest and forthright discussion among ourselves and with Ukraine.
05:48And we are coming out our meetings over the past 24 hours with a clear sense of purpose,
05:53commitment and urgency.
05:55And with that, I'm ready to take your questions.
06:01All right, we'll start with Sky News.
06:08Thank you, Deborah Haynes from Sky News.
06:10All right, good afternoon.
06:11Good afternoon.
06:12Are all NATO Allies united behind Ukraine in this, what President Zelensky has said,
06:20this belief that no negotiation on ending the war can take place without Ukraine at
06:26the table?
06:27And are Allies united that Ukraine cannot be forced into an agreement unless it actually
06:33accepts the conditions?
06:35What we are clearly united about is that, first of all, we have to make sure that when
06:40talks start, Ukraine is in the best possible position.
06:43And obviously, this is about Ukraine.
06:45So Ukraine will be involved in any way whatsoever.
06:49And at the same time, we are also in total agreement that an outcome has to be durable.
06:54As Pete Hex said, the Secretary of Defense said yesterday, we cannot have a Minsk three
06:58again.
07:00So whenever the outcome is there, we have to make sure that Putin will not try to grab
07:05another square mile, kilometer of Ukraine.
07:08All right, we'll go to Reuters.
07:15Thank you very much, Secretary General.
07:17You have said repeatedly that Ukraine needs to be put in a position of strength before
07:22talks could start.
07:25But President Trump has said that talks are starting immediately.
07:29So does that mean that Ukraine is now starting negotiations from a position of weakness?
07:35No, and I do not completely agree with you, because what will happen, of course, even
07:40if talks start, they will not end on day one or day two.
07:44So there is, let's say, a path there where we have to make sure that talks are successful
07:49and it is important that we get to a peace deal, and at the same time, to make sure that
07:53Putin understands that the West is united, that Ukraine is getting all the support it
08:00needs to prevail.
08:02That is very important, but also that he understands that we will only conclude those talks when
08:06we are absolutely assured that the outcome can be sustained, that the outcome is enduring,
08:13is lasting.
08:14All right, RBC, Ukraine.
08:19Milan Dilić, RBC Ukraine News Agency.
08:25Secretary General, do you believe that Vladimir Putin really wants to end the war now, as
08:31President Trump said it yesterday?
08:35Well, I don't know what is exactly in President Putin's mind, of course, and neither can you.
08:42I have had many meetings with him between 2010 and 2014 in my previous role, and he
08:51is a strong negotiator.
08:53He is very unpredictable, but in the end, if we want to get to a peace deal, we need
08:58him there, because he was the one starting this war of aggression against your country.
09:04So we have to make sure that we navigate those talks in a way that the outcome is such that
09:10it is clear to the whole world that there is a strong deal, that also the Indo-Pacific
09:16countries like China, but also a country like North Korea, and even in the Middle East around,
09:21know that it is the West which is prevailing.
09:26BBC.
09:32Your voice is so commanding, you don't need it.
09:35Hi.
09:37Boris Pistorius, the German defence minister, said it was regrettable that the Trump administration
09:44had made concessions before negotiations had begun.
09:50Similar message from the EU foreign policy chief, Kayo Kalas, not a good idea.
09:56Would you agree with him?
09:57Well, I'm not in a position to comment on everything everybody is saying, but I would
10:02not be surprised about President Trump's views on this.
10:05He has been clear during the election campaign, and we knew for a couple of days that talks
10:09were imminent, at least that a phone call with President Putin was imminent, and that
10:16phone call took place yesterday.
10:18And now we have to make sure collectively that we do everything to make sure that we
10:22get to a lasting outcome of those talks.
10:26All right, Moscow Times, please.
10:35Secretary General, many experts say that after yesterday's President Trump speech, that the
10:41agreement, if it might be signed, the peace agreement, if it might be signed in the way,
10:46in the tone which was articulated by Washington, will make Moscow and President Putin stronger,
10:52and it might lead to President Putin's decision that he can challenge some other countries.
10:59If yes, do you agree with this, and who he might challenge or attack, as experts say?
11:04Well, I have not seen the outcome of peace negotiations.
11:08They have not even started.
11:10What I know is that all allies here today, and I know that the White House thinks the
11:16same, are of the opinion that we have to make sure, yes, that there is peace in Ukraine,
11:21that we end this awful situation, this war of aggression where hundreds of thousands
11:28of people have now been dead or seriously injured on both sides of the border.
11:37And it is really horrible.
11:39So we want to end this, but of course we have to make sure that you conduct those talks
11:45in a way where the outcome is such that it will not be seen as a loss to the West, one,
11:52and two, that we make sure that the outcome is seen as enduring, that it will not be challenged
11:58again, like we have seen after Crimea and after the Minsk Accords in 2014, where immediately
12:05and basically moving forward to 2015 and 2016, Putin started to challenge the outcome of
12:15these agreements.
12:18Bloomberg, behind the cameras.
12:28Secretary General, this is Andrea Palaszczuk from Bloomberg.
12:31President Trump has said that negotiations are effectively starting.
12:34Europeans are not in the conversation right now, they're not at the table.
12:37What can European allies, European NATO allies do to get back in the conversation, and what
12:43exactly can they offer?
12:45What can they put on the table to be included in these discussions?
12:48Well, clearly, we are intensely consulting amongst each other, including with the United States.
12:54I will be myself in Munich tomorrow meeting with Vice President Vance Kellogg, the special
13:02representative for Ukraine, special representative for President Trump, will be here at NATO
13:08on Monday.
13:09Yesterday, I had dinner with Pete Hexhead, the new Secretary of Defense of the United States.
13:14So we are, as NATO, and the teams are, of course, intensely coordinating.
13:20And I know that many allies and many EU member states are doing the same with Washington.
13:24So we are really...
13:25And what we did the last 24 hours was also very much about getting to the same page.
13:30And this is a democratic alliance.
13:31You do not always start with concurring positions.
13:35But in these 24 hours, what I have seen was a tremendous sense of unity and of convergence
13:42of views, and maybe not on everything and every detail, but still an alliance moving
13:48united forward.
13:49All right.
13:50Staying in the same part of the room, woman in the white blouse and beige vest.
13:59Good afternoon.
14:00My name is Yulia Serevan.
14:01I am from Republic of Moldova, representing here Journal TV.
14:05So Mr. Rutte, last night, the airspace of the Republic of Moldova was overflown by Russian
14:12drones.
14:13Some of them even exploded on the Moldovan territory, which is very serious and endangers
14:21the lives of our citizens.
14:23What can allies do to help Moldova to protect its airspace?
14:27Because it's really dangerous right now.
14:30And as we speak, Moldovan citizens are in danger.
14:33Well, as you know, many allies, and I hosted Maya Sandu, the president of Moldova, here
14:40myself in late 2024, I think it was in December.
14:45So we are having a lot of talks and consultations.
14:49And many allies are also bilaterally supporting Moldova.
14:52The European Union is very much involved, because we all care about your beautiful country.
15:00And to make sure that you prevail in this ongoing, let's say, you would call it hybrid
15:07in the past, but this is really destabilization campaigns, and sometimes even state-sponsored
15:12terrorism against your country.
15:14And this is what you're doing, working together on this, consulting, and making sure that
15:18we are on the same page.
15:19That is very important.
15:21All right, and just behind her, Frankfurt Allgemeine Zeitung.
15:26Thanks a lot.
15:27Thomas Kutschke with Frankfurt Allgemeine Zeitung.
15:29Secretary General, yesterday, the U.S. Secretary of Defense also said that in the future, Europeans
15:38need to take ownership of their own, as he said, conventional security.
15:45How do you read this?
15:46Does it mean that we should expect the bulk of the U.S. forces in Europe, which are about
15:51100,000 at the moment, will be withdrawn from the continent?
15:58Did you discuss this with him?
16:01Did you get any assurances?
16:03And would it be wise for Europeans to basically foresee a situation where the U.S. only provides
16:10a nuclear umbrella, but no longer any conventional protection?
16:17Thank you for the question.
16:18And you know, Pete Hex has visited Stuttgart on Tuesday, and on a question I think by you
16:24or one of your colleagues said that there are no plans to reduce troop levels.
16:29That's one.
16:31At the same time, the U.S. is quite irritated, basically for a long time, and Trump made
16:37this very clear when he came on board in 2016, 2017, about the fact that the U.S. is spending
16:43much more on defense than the average is in the rest of NATO, in Canada and in Europe.
16:49So we have to do more.
16:51Last year, we spent 20 percent more, U.S.-NATO allies.
16:54So if you take out U.S. from the numbers, the rest of NATO spent 20 percent more.
17:00So we can do this.
17:01But it is not nearly enough.
17:02When you look at the capability targeting process, and when you then from there start
17:08to see the emerging gaps, it has to be much and much more than this famous 2 percent.
17:14It will be more than 3 percent at least.
17:18So here he is right.
17:19And the good thing, of course, is when we, in the rest of NATO, spend more, that there
17:24will be more of a burden sharing with what the U.S. is doing, because the U.S. itself
17:28is now on about 3.3, 3.4, 3.5 percent, depending on which year and how you calculate it.
17:35So that burden shift is necessary.
17:39But to your concrete question, I think Pete Hexhead was very clear in Stuttgart.
17:44Let's see.
17:46Here.
17:47The woman in the second row.
17:53Yuri Bilyat, Call of Media, Russian Media in Exile.
17:56I wanted to ask you about, like yesterday NATO already did what Putin wanted, dropped
18:01off the idea of Ukraine membership in alliance in the foreseeable future.
18:05Is this how NATO will make Putin to start the talking process, by just giving him what
18:09he wants?
18:11Well, listen, in Washington, again, NATO committed to future NATO membership for Ukraine.
18:19But it has never been agreed that whenever peace talks would start, that peace talks
18:25would end anyway and always and definitely with NATO membership.
18:29That has never been agreed.
18:31It could be, but it never was that clearly stated.
18:35What I consistently have said is we have to make sure that whatever the outcome is, we
18:39have to make sure that Vladimir, Vladimir Putin, will never, ever try again to attack
18:45Ukraine.
18:46That is crucial.
18:47And then you and I, as I said yesterday, we can spend time, and not very long time, I
18:52think in ten minutes, we can think of five or ten ways to make sure that we have those
18:56guarantees in place for Ukraine going forward.
19:00But there has never been a promise to Ukraine that as part of a peace deal, they would be
19:05in NATO.
19:07All right.
19:08And now we'll go to the woman in the black jacket.
19:09My name is Lucrezia, Italian public television.
19:13U.S. Secretary of Defense said that U.S. are interested towards the Indo-Pacific and China
19:22more than Europe.
19:24So European Union states, they are a little bit concerned about this.
19:31What do you think about it?
19:33Spend more.
19:34Spend more.
19:35Those not on 2% get to the 2% by this summer.
19:38And those on 2% prepare for much, much more.
19:40And it will be north of 3%.
19:43Because what is behind this is two things.
19:45One is the genuine issue that the U.S. has to concentrate on multiple theaters, including
19:50on the Indo-Pacific.
19:51Absolutely.
19:52China, et cetera.
19:53It is a great worry for them.
19:55And rightly so.
19:56But also, a continuous debate they're having with European allies.
20:01Hey, guys, we are spending over 3%, 3.5% on efforts in the U.S.
20:06And you are close to 2% or not even at 2% in the rest of NATO.
20:10So they are right.
20:12They have every right to be extremely irritated.
20:14Because we are saying, yeah, but spending more, that might mean maybe saving somewhere
20:18else or increased taxation or, yeah, hey, guess what?
20:22That's the same for the U.S.
20:24When you spend 3.5% on defense, then you cannot spend it on your pensions or you cannot lower
20:29your taxes by that amount.
20:32So they are absolutely clear.
20:34So I think these two things come together.
20:36U.S. has to concentrate on Europe, yes, but also on other issues.
20:40And by the way, when it comes to the Indo-Pacific, and many allies to date made that point, these
20:46theaters get more and more interconnected with North Korea, China, and Iran backing
20:52up Putin.
20:55Particularly North Korea and China being over there in the Indo-Pacific region.
21:00As I said before to you, I have sometimes more phone calls coming out of Korea, Japan,
21:05Australia, New Zealand from senior politicians there than from some NATO allies.
21:10They are really worried about what is happening there.
21:13They want us to work closer together.
21:15And I also said today, if the U.S., rightly so, sees China and other emerging situations
21:22in the Indo-Pacific as an emerging threat to that country, then we have to face that
21:26together.
21:27Not that NATO is now expanding to the Indo-Pacific, but then you have to work together as an alliance
21:32how to make sure that those security threats of the U.S. are also a concern for us here
21:37in Europe.
21:39NHK.
21:42Sachi from NHK, the public TV station in Japan.
21:49Kind of following up on my colleague's question, do you expect the IP4 countries to be spending
21:54more on defence, considering these situations?
21:59Well, of course, what I'm really doing in NATO is to make that push for more spending.
22:06It's not up to me, of course, to advise Japan or Korea or Australia or New Zealand on their
22:10spending levels, but your country has now a prime minister and a foreign minister and
22:15a defence minister.
22:16The defence minister is defence minister, and the foreign minister and the prime minister
22:19are former defence ministers.
22:21So, you have the three most involved politicians in the cabinet really being very much, and
22:27I was on the phone with the prime minister recently, and we totally agreed on the importance
22:33of working together.
22:34But, of course, it is not up to me to now even move outside NATO territory and start
22:39to lecture the whole world that they have to spend more on defence.
22:44All right, we have time for just a few more.
22:46BBC Russian Service.
22:52Thank you very much.
22:53Firstly, just to follow up, you said it was clear that this call that happened between
22:58Putin and Trump was imminent, and you knew about this.
23:00Should we take it as a sign that you and other allies knew beforehand, before this call happened,
23:06that Trump was going to talk to Putin?
23:08And do you think that the position that he shared with Mr. Putin, was it just American
23:11position, or was it, you know, like something that everybody agreed on?
23:16This is my first question.
23:17Sorry, first answer that question, then we go to your second question.
23:19Now, what I said is, we always knew that this week, that that call was imminent, not exactly
23:25at that particular time slot.
23:28It's not that detailed that we consult with each other, but we knew a call would happen
23:32soon.
23:33It was imminent, and teams are consulting each other.
23:35That doesn't mean that we always consult in detail about all the talking points in each
23:40of the phone calls each of the leaders within NATO is making.
23:43But of course, there is a large sense of sharing what each of us is doing.
23:48Okay, and my second question is, President Zelensky said today that there's a huge risk
23:54that the negotiations and just the conversation about the future of Ukraine and Europe could
24:00turn into bilateral US-Russia conversation.
24:04And I think it's not a secret that Vladimir Putin wants to see something like the second
24:08Yalta, you know, like the situation where he sits with an American president, and they
24:12decide on the fate of the whole world.
24:13And it feels that in the last two days, the risk that Europe will be excluded, Europe
24:18and Ukraine will be excluded from this conversation became much higher.
24:24What do you think about this?
24:25Well, first of all, the first one President Trump called after he was on the phone with
24:29Putin was President Zelensky.
24:31They talked for an hour.
24:32Tomorrow, President Zelensky will meet with Vice President Vance.
24:35I will myself have talks tomorrow with President Zelensky in Munich.
24:39So we are closely coordinating between the US and also Ukraine and, of course, European
24:46allies.
24:47All right.
24:48And just behind her, the blonde woman.
24:51Tanja Komarica, Serbia.
24:53What are the key challenges in NATO's relation with the non-member countries in the Western
24:58Balkans?
24:59And how does NATO plan to strengthen cooperation with these countries?
25:04Well, obviously, we are very much involved, as you know, in Kosovo through KFOR.
25:09We are also closely following and being helpful, trying to be helpful in Bosnia and Herzegovina.
25:15I myself have excellent relations with all the leaders in the region, thanks to my previous
25:20role, including President Vucic of Serbia.
25:23So we are in constant contact, making sure that whatever we can do to contribute to stabilizing
25:31the region, we do.
25:32We have just had the Kosovo elections.
25:35The Electoral Committee still has to decide, I think, on the exact outcome.
25:38But we have seen the trend.
25:40It might probably mean that you will have a coalition now in Kosovo.
25:44And that political process, of course, has to take place, as is normal in a democracy.
25:49But we are closely connecting and following everything happening there.
25:53And as you know, the Deputy Secretary General is also from the Western Balkans.
25:59She's from North Macedonia.
26:00And she is a great advisor on all these issues.
26:04All right.
26:05Eko.
26:06Artem Veselin, Eko.
26:10So if, as we see, negotiation may start soon, maybe in this half year or a year, does that
26:18mean that member states are effectively accepting the suspended status of the annexed territories?
26:25How does it align with statements supporting Ukraine's sovereignty?
26:29Does that mean that NATO, except all these territories, are controlled by Russia forever?
26:35Well, again, what I said before, we want peace.
26:40We want to make sure that when the talks really get underway, that you guys are – sorry,
26:46the Ukrainians, but I know you are in exile.
26:48I'm not sure whether you live in Ukraine now.
26:50But at least that Ukrainians are in the best possible position to conduct those talks.
26:57And that whatever the outcome is, that we make sure that it is the full stop.
27:01And that Russia will never try again.
27:05And really are consulting with our allies here in Europe, with the Canadians, and particularly,
27:12of course, with the Americans.
27:13As I said myself, I will have many meetings with senior American officials in person in
27:18Munich and here in Brussels, but of course also on the phone.
27:21And that is important.
27:23Because we all have that wish that we will get to a durable peace in Ukraine, but that
27:28we try to do it in a way that it is indeed enduring, lasting.
27:33And, of course, President Zelensky himself is very much part of all those conversations.
27:39All right.
27:40Gentleman in the front and center.
27:43Raf Sanchez, NBC News.
27:45Secretary General, you said the NATO alliance is united around the goal of putting Ukraine
27:50into the strongest possible position going into these negotiations.
27:53But did Secretary Hegseth explicitly confirm to you that that is the American position?
27:57Because the way President Trump was speaking yesterday, it sounded to many people like
28:01he sees the United States as essentially a neutral mediator in these talks.
28:05No, but you know that the U.S. is one of the biggest suppliers of military aids into Ukraine,
28:11which is still ongoing.
28:12And what is very important, of course, here is that going forward, and I've said that
28:16before, I expect the U.S. for the European allies to take a bigger share of the financial
28:21burden.
28:22That might be the case.
28:23And I would not be surprised, because the U.S. has paid a lot of money.
28:26And luckily, over 2024, what we have seen is that now the European part of NATO is taking
28:31about 60% of the burden in terms of the money involved.
28:37And going forward, I expect the U.S. for the Europeans to step up even further.
28:43All right.
28:44And final question.
28:45Gentleman in the beige jacket.
28:50Secretary, thank you for this opportunity.
28:53Secretary Exe said yesterday that the idea of putting boots on the ground involving the
28:59U.S. troops in Ukraine is off the table.
29:02Do other NATO allies share the same idea?
29:05And if NATO is not involved in this type of security guarantee for Ukraine, what can we
29:11expect from NATO?
29:12Because we are fighting that war.
29:13Yes, I understand that.
29:14But why do you guys want to discuss in a press conference the exact configuration of what
29:22a lasting peace deal would look like, including this – and you were right on this – the
29:28security guarantees which have to be part of that?
29:31Because, as I said before, you can have many discussions on how to do that.
29:35It could be NATO.
29:36It could not be NATO.
29:37It could be individual countries helping.
29:40There are many ways to do that.
29:42But to go into that in detail, the only thing we will be doing is informing Vladimir Putin.
29:49And he is sitting in that reclining chair listening to what I am answering to your question
29:53if I would give you the answer in full.
29:55And I won't, because I don't want to make him any wiser.
29:58But that's exactly what the U.S. defense secretary said.
30:02What he said is he made very clear the U.S. position on yes or not NATO as part of a peace
30:09deal.
30:10And he is totally entitled to do that.
30:12Thank you so much.
30:13Thank you so much.
30:14That's all we have time for.