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00:00It's great to be back in Slovakia. It's great to be back in beautiful Bratislava.
00:06Since I became Secretary General now last year, I have visited your neighbors in Hungary and in
00:15Poland, so it was time, it was about time to make an official visit to your fantastic, fantastic
00:23country. And it is an honor for me to speak at your prestigious university, named after the
00:30father of modern education, Jan Amos Cominius. Like so many of the great minds of the 17th century,
00:39he was ahead of his time. He believed in universal education and that education for all
00:47could promote peace and unity among people and nations. And I feel a connection with Cominius.
00:55His last 14 years, amongst his most active and productive, were spent in my own country,
01:02in the Netherlands. He lived and worked in Amsterdam and he called it the jewel of cities,
01:08the glory of the low countries, the joy of Europe. I personally have never looked at
01:14Amsterdam in that way, but I think he's right. Schools are named after him across the Netherlands,
01:20including in my own hometown, The Hague. And my old university, Leiden, awards Cominius grants.
01:28Cominius was forced from Moravia into exile because of conflict, the brutal 30 years war.
01:36We all know that throughout history, conflict has carved this continent. Preventing war
01:44is what we work for every day in NATO. And the theme for our discussion today is
01:51building stronger defenses, the path to securing our future. I personally went to university during
02:00the Cold War, but I saw it end, thanks to democracy standing strong in NATO. The countries
02:09of Central and Eastern Europe were forced to join the Warsaw Pact and back the Soviet Union.
02:15When the Iron Curtain fell, those same countries joined NATO voluntarily.
02:21We welcomed Slovakia into our family in 2004, and we were all safer and more secure as a result.
02:30NATO's policy of enlargement has been one of the great success stories of our time.
02:36Alongside the enlargement of the European Union, it has helped to erase many of the painful
02:41dividing lines on our continent and bring us much closer to the long-standing goal
02:48of a Europe whole, free and at peace. While NATO got us through the Cold War,
02:55we have a hot war raging just next door. We all want the fighting in Ukraine to stop as soon
03:02as possible, and that we have a lasting peace, a durable peace. We have all seen what Russia is
03:10capable of. Russia's economy is now on a war footing. It is rebuilding its forces much faster
03:17than expected, and it has teamed up with China, with North Korea, and with Iran.
03:24As you know, there are lots of talks these days on how to end this war,
03:29what are the security guarantees that would be needed, and how to ensure lasting peace in Europe.
03:36But even when the war in Ukraine ends, danger will not disappear. Security is under threat here in
03:44Europe and around the world. We must be prepared for intense global competition.
03:51China continues to challenge our interests, security, and values.
03:57NATO can defend today, but that is not a given in Fakirstan. In a more volatile and dangerous world,
04:06we must invest more in our own security. We must do this to prevent conflict and protect
04:14our way of life. Two-thirds of NATO Allies now spend 2% of their GDP on defense,
04:21and it is great that Slovakia is among them. Together we are making progress,
04:27but during the Cold War, Allies had to spend far north of 3% to keep them safe.
04:34We are spending more and doing more in NATO today, but we are nowhere near where we need to be.
04:41We need rapid and we need radical change. NATO is strong, but we need to be even stronger.
04:50We have robust plans in place to defend the Alliance, but to implement them in full,
04:56we must have more resources, we must have more forces, and we must have more capabilities.
05:02The new American administration has been very clear about its commitment to NATO
05:07and about its expectation for all Allies to carry their share of the burden, and I think that is
05:14only fair. We don't just need to spend more, we also need to ramp up our defense production,
05:22so that our militaries have what they need to protect us, and to deter anyone from even
05:29thinking about attacking us. We need a quantum leap in our collective defense.
05:37But why does it matter to students like you? Because security is the foundation of everything.
05:44That is why it matters. Education, opportunity, and prosperity. Without peace, progress is impossible.
05:52I know from my time as Prime Minister in the Netherlands that there are difficult debates
05:56when deciding budgets, prioritizing resources, and allocating more funds for defense.
06:04We all want better schools, universities, and hospitals. But we also have to invest to defend
06:10what is important to us. Because when there is insecurity and instability, economies and societies
06:17suffer. At the beginning of NATO, in 1949, we had 12 Allies. Today, we are 32.
06:27So we must be doing something right. Slovakia does not stand alone, and it will never stand
06:32alone in NATO. Today, I went to see the NATO forces stationed in Slovakia to protect you
06:39and the Alliance. There are soldiers deployed here from the other side of Europe, from Spain
06:45and Portugal, and friends closer to home, and here too, Czechia and Slovakia, Slovenia and Slovakia.
06:51They all stand shoulder to shoulder with forces of this beautiful country. And you have the entire
06:57Alliance behind you. I know that as I speak to you today, I'm speaking to the future of Slovakia,
07:05and therefore the future of Europe. You represent the next generation of leaders, thinkers,
07:12and innovators. You will shape the policies and the policies of the future of Slovakia.
07:20You will shape the policies, the technologies, and ideas that will define your future and keep
07:26me safe in old age. And a strong NATO means a secure future where you can study, work,
07:33and build a better tomorrow without fear of war. I urge you all to engage with the challenges of
07:40our time, ask the tough questions, and push for solutions. Whether you pursue careers in defense,
07:49diplomacy, technology, or in any other field, you are the future. We need your help to prioritize
07:57peace, security, and stability. NATO is here to protect one billion people on both sides of the
08:05Atlantic. Our mission is to protect you, your friends, your families, and your future.
08:13Without strong defense, there is no lasting security. Without security, there is no freedom.
08:20And without freedom, we cannot live our lives the way we want to. Building security and stability
08:28requires commitment. That means investing more in defense, standing together,
08:35and remembering that peace is never guaranteed, only protected. And that is why building stronger
08:42defenses is the path to securing our future. And that is what we are doing at NATO.
08:51Thank you for listening. This is only the beginning,
08:54because now we will start the conversation. But first, an applause for my speech. Thank you.
09:12Thank you. So now we have a chance to ask some questions. So if anybody is interested,
09:20there are some colleagues with microphones. So just raise your hand,
09:24they will come to you, and you can ask. Yep.
09:38Yep. Thank you very much. I think throughout late last year, there were many news about
09:45Russian hybrid attacks on NATO states. Especially I'm talking about like damaging cables in the
09:52Baltic Sea, arms factories in Poland, England, Germany, and so on. And there wasn't like a really
10:04clear answer to that. I think there were mainly concerns and talks, but not effective steps to
10:11prevent that. And because of this, I think NATO somehow may look slightly defenseless against
10:24Russia, hybrid attacks, and generally. So maybe it's time to like show that such actions, such
10:36attacks will have their consequences, and that there should be like better reaction from NATO,
10:47more effort to deal with that. And maybe like pushing some solutions, which include like better
10:59steps like that. Thank you. Basically, I agree. That's the short answer. But let me
11:05explain a little bit more. So we were used to call this hybrid, but basically this is
11:12state-sponsored terrorism, or at least state-sponsored destabilizing campaigns.
11:20You mentioned a few examples. I could add attacks on the National Health Service in the United
11:25Kingdom, trying to kill the boss of a big defense industrial company in Germany, and also the jamming
11:33of commercial airplanes in the Baltics. So the first thing we had to do is to acknowledge what
11:39we are really seeing here, and it's not hybrid. Again, it is state-sponsored terrorism, because
11:44you have to face the problem in the eye. Secondly, you need to have more information on what is
11:51exactly happening. That's what we did. So we established a few centers within NATO, and
11:55when it came, for example, to the undersea cables and critical undersea infrastructure
12:00with maritime command in the UK, we have now a center which is exactly tracing what is happening.
12:06But that is only facing it and following and tracing. It's not enough.
12:13I think we are really stepping up, and an example of this is what happened in the Christmas days
12:20last year, 25th, 26th of December. Again, an undersea cable was cut between Estonia and Finland,
12:28and General Cavoli, our Supreme Allied Commander, under his responsibility, he launched a so-called
12:36activity. Basically, it is a mission, but when you call it an activity, you do not have to have
12:41an agreement of the 32 allies. So since I knew this and learned this, we only have activities
12:46now and no missions. But this activity is involving many ships, the latest undersea
12:53sea drone technology, and the most important thing is, all the information we are getting
12:59is that Putin, Vladimir Vladimirovich Putin, he hates it. And that's exactly what we need.
13:05So we will, from now on, in a, if necessary, asymmetrical way, react to this type of threat.
13:12Of course, we did already in the past, not always visibly. More stuff happened. But we will do it.
13:18We will continue doing that. We will do it more visibly. It will be, many times,
13:22in an asymmetrical way, because you do not always have to react exactly
13:27at the same spot at the same time as your adversary, your enemy.
13:31There's a long answer to again tell you, you're totally right, but we are changing our ways.
13:37Okay. Anybody else wants to ask a question? Someone at the back, and then here, and then there.
13:52Thank you very much, Mr. Secretary General. I would like to ask you...
13:56Could you stand up so that I can see you, please? Otherwise... Ah, great. Could you stand?
14:00Of course.
14:00Ah, great.
14:02I just will read my question. Do you think the insanely high cost for defense equipment is only
14:08because we lack economy of scale, or is it the greed of the defense contractors and their suppliers
14:16part of the problem? Thank you very much.
14:19I'm not sure that that is the reason, but you're right that sometimes it's costing
14:24a very high amount of money. The problem is the price. The problem is the speed. The problem is
14:28that many defense companies have to put in place more shifts and more production lines. They are
14:32not doing that. They are asking for these 10-year contracts, but you know how it works in democracies.
14:38You work from election cycle to election cycle. So I'm telling them, these big industrial companies,
14:44you know that the money is there. You know that the demand is there. You are businessmen and
14:47women, start investing. Because what we now are seeing is that countries like Poland and Romania
14:55and Estonia are buying Korean defense industrial equipment. I think even Slovakia, you have bought
15:04from where was it that we learned today? I mean, no, I forgot. But also,
15:10no, from outside the NATO, outside NATO. Now I'm checking my team.
15:15Huh? Israel, from Israel. And of course, I love Israel. I love Korea. It's all great. But I even
15:21love more our 32 allies. So we are really working on this. This is one of my three priorities.
15:26Lasting peace in Ukraine, spending more, and getting our industrial production going.
15:30And this is a problem not only for the European part of NATO, but also for the U.S.
15:35Because the U.S. had over 80 big defense industrial companies. There are only five left,
15:40and they are not producing nearly enough. We are producing an ammunition in a full year,
15:45the whole of NATO, but Russia is producing in three months. And Russia is only 5% of the total
15:50NATO economy. So one twentieth of NATO is producing in three months what we are producing in a year.
15:56Luckily, you in this country have a big potential to again develop your defense industrial base.
16:05You already have some big ammunition production sites, and you are producing a lot of the
16:11ammunition, which is now part of this so-called Czech initiative to get ammunition into Ukraine.
16:16So you guys are doing a lot, but all of NATO, we have to do much more.
16:22There was somebody asking a question there. And then there.
16:27Hello, and thank you for visiting us today, Mr. General Secretary. In recent months,
16:32we have observed how the new United States administration, especially, for example,
16:38Vice President of the United States, criticizing Europe for its insufficient contribution to the
16:44army. And this raises the question, what methods and principles do you have in place to
16:52prevent a potential disintegration of NATO? And what approach could help strengthen the
17:11unity of NATO and our allies? Thank you. Well, I can only tell you that this US
17:15administration is totally committed to NATO, but they expect us to spend more.
17:19And they are right. I mean, watch it. Look out. In 2014, we agreed on this famous 2%.
17:26Nothing happened. Then Trump became president. Everybody woke up, and we started to spend more.
17:31Then the full Russian onslaught on Ukraine happened in 2022. We spent more.
17:37So we are now spending 700 billion more, 700 billion more in non-US NATO than before 2016,
17:44so before Trump became president. But it is not enough. Again, now we have to take a next big step,
17:51and I think it will be a huge step. We have to decide on this this summer, but I guess we really
17:56have to move up to much more than 3% for you now. Look at all the gaps we have in our armies,
18:02in our long-range missiles, in our air defense systems, in our logistics, our military mobility.
18:09We have so many issues, and we cannot pay for them with the 2%. So it has to be really much
18:13more, and I hope that we can get to a conclusion on this in The Hague. And the good news is that
18:18if we do that, you would have much more of a fair burden-sharing with the United States.
18:22But I'm absolutely not worried about the US. They're doing what is needed. I'm worried about
18:27us, whether we are able to step up, but I'm also optimistic because all the signals I'm getting
18:34now the last two, three months is that the coin has dropped, that people understand this is
18:39necessary. Many governments now, like Denmark yesterday, announcing a huge big new investment.
18:46We have seen other, I know some countries will come out with big announcements over the coming
18:50weeks. So this is really good news, but not the big issues in the German election. So
18:54I think we'll get there, and it is necessary.
19:01Yeah, first of all, thank you very much for coming here.
19:04And thank you all for being here, because if I was only here, you were not.
19:09That's true, but it's really important to us. So my question basically is more about the
19:13technology development of NATO, because now we can see that brave Ukrainian soldiers fighting
19:19with the drones, and they are very effective. And do you think that now NATO will take this
19:25experience? And do you like to develop this, like the drones into the army of the NATO? And
19:31how maybe, the second question, how maybe the third party companies or people who would like to
19:37dedicate their life into drone makings can apply to NATO and do these drones by the NATO standards,
19:44and about the drones mostly? Thank you.
19:46Yeah, well, first of all, on this newest technology, the Ukraine war is, of course,
19:54giving us a lot of insights in modern warfare. And Ukraine is second to none capable of
20:03implementing these latest technologies. The problem is that the Russians only need two or
20:07three weeks to catch up. And so there is a rapid acceleration going on in terms of applying the
20:14newest technologies. We are trying to capture them. So last week in Poland, we opened JTAC.
20:19This is the first organization where Ukraine and NATO really work together,
20:26capturing all the lessons from the war in Ukraine and making sure we can apply them all over NATO.
20:31We know that there is some criticism now going on of countries still buying F-16s and F-35s,
20:38whether that is still necessary. I think the growing body of opinion is that you need both
20:45and the big platform F-35 type big ticket items, but also the latest technology. And how can you
20:52make them work in conjunction? Again, the war in Ukraine is giving us a lot of insights of how to
20:59do this. And then we have to make sure that these big companies start to work with small startups
21:04and scale ups. Not easy because a big company has all these internal rules. And typically,
21:10they would choke off and kill any startup as soon as they start to merge with a big company. So you
21:15have to find ways to make sure that the startup can survive in that fabric of a big company,
21:23in that structure, in the texture. And I think there are many lessons how to do that.
21:28So this is all happening at the moment. And in NATO, we are working on that in headquarters in
21:33Brussels, a whole team working on innovation, together with people working on procurement.
21:39Obviously, it is something which in the end has to be done by the 32 allies
21:43in their own military, in their own procurement programs, etc. But that is happening.
21:48So I'm rather optimistic. But we have to keep this going. Otherwise, we stick
21:54with a military system which is stuck in the past, in the 20th century. And we really have
22:01to move this to the 21st century, to this decennium and taking all the lessons from Ukraine.
22:16Hello, thank you for the opportunity. I want to ask you about Kosovo,
22:21since the recent changes in U.S. international policies, there have been rumors that they might
22:27pull out their military and abandon their military base. I want to ask your opinion
22:32or your thoughts about the possible risk of conflict in the area.
22:36Well, let me be perfectly clear. Everything I'm getting out of your system is that they
22:42are totally committed to NATO and their present engagements. So let's see what happens. We might
22:48always have changes of policy or small adjustments that can always happen. The Slovaks, the Dutch,
22:55and others are also doing this. But I have no reason to believe there will be dramatic announcements.
23:00And more generally, on the Western Balkans, we have to be sure that we keep an eye on this.
23:06Because stability in Kosovo, stability in Bosnia, stability in Serbia, it is in all our interest.
23:13We have had recent elections in Kosovo. I think they have not been finalized
23:18in a formal outcome, but it seems that the main party who was basically governing Kosovo on its
23:25own before the elections might need a coalition. Let's see how that plays out. But that is normal
23:31political democratic process, forming coalitions. Of course, we know there are certain issues we
23:37need to be very watchful of in Bosnia. The relationships in the region, I myself am in
23:43constant contact with all the main leaders over there. I had the opportunity in the Munich
23:47security conference to speak with two out of the three members of the presidency of Bosnia. I will
23:53visit the region in March. So step by step, we really try to maintain stability. And that's
24:01important because it is a region which has a history of instability. And luckily now for many
24:06years, we have a hard forged stability in that part of Europe, in the Western Balkans,
24:15and we have to maintain that. Thank you. Mr. Secretary, thank you for coming.
24:26Given the changes in Syria and the instability of the Middle East, as well as the Republic of
24:33Turkey's ambivalence in geopolitics, is NATO's southern flank neglected or perhaps put on
24:40hold where the focus is on the East? Thank you. Well, first of all, I would not agree with you
24:46on Turkey. I think Turkey is a very important ally. And so far, I've always had the best of
24:51exchanges with the senior Turkish leadership. Second, of course, when it comes to Syria,
24:57the Middle East, NATO is not party to any discussions there, or if there's a conflict,
25:04party to any conflict. It will be individual allies navigating the situation in the Middle East.
25:10But of course, we follow it closely, to your point. And I was in Iraq two weeks ago,
25:15because we have a NATO mission in Iraq. That's one, and that's helping them to develop their
25:21defense capabilities. And also, their minister of the interior is making use of all the training
25:28facilities we provide there through this NATO mission in Iraq. And we have a southern neighborhood
25:34policy. And so there is even a special representative. I believe even it is my
25:39special representative, not only NATO's. So my special representative to the global south. And
25:46sorry, not to the global south, to the southern neighborhood, working with the Middle East,
25:49working with northern African countries. We have close cooperation with Jordan, with Egypt,
25:54Tunisia, Mauritania, Cape Verde. And we are expanding that. And why is this important?
26:01Because we know that China and Russia are, particularly in Africa, rapidly trying to
26:08expand their influence in that part of the world. And it is important that we stay very much
26:13involved, not only because Spain, Portugal, and Italy think this is important. I agree with them,
26:18it is important. These allies, I think, are totally spot on here. But it is important for
26:23the whole of the alliance. So that is why we are concentrating very much on that area.
26:39Okay. I would like to ask you, what is your position towards Britain's suggestion to deploy
26:45troops in Ukraine, since USA is one of the main players in NATO and they are
26:50strongly against this suggestion? The US is not against that suggestion. No,
26:55no, no. The US has said we do not want US troops on the ground. That is what the US said.
27:03But it has also said everything is on the table. But there was also a clear
27:07message coming out of the US system that they don't want to have boots on the ground.
27:10I think there is really in NATO a large-scale agreement that we need strong security guarantees
27:16for Ukraine to go forward after a peace deal. And I know that countries like the Netherlands
27:24and Denmark and the UK and France are thinking what that could be. That was why we had the
27:30meeting in Paris on Monday. And there was another meeting yesterday. And there will be more meetings
27:36coming up, I think, to coordinate the European support for a peace deal in Ukraine.
27:41I myself am optimistic about President Trump's initiative. Of course, it is still early stage.
27:47But I think it is important that he started this peace initiative now with the Russians.
27:53But we all agree also that we have to make sure that for any peace deal going forward,
27:57there have to be strong security guarantees. We also agree that strong security guarantees,
28:03if provided by European countries, need a backup by the United States, not with boots on the
28:10ground. But we still need generally a backup from the US to make sure that the deterrence is there.
28:16But also because the US provides certain capabilities, again, not with boots on the
28:21ground, but necessary to make it possible for European countries to help there.
28:25So that help process is now taking place. And I am very glad that it takes place,
28:30because last week in Munich, during the security conference, many Europeans were
28:34whining and angry that they were not involved and were not at the table. But luckily now,
28:40they started to coordinate amongst themselves. So that is important. And being positively engaged
28:46in this American peace initiative. And I think that is necessary. And Europe can add a lot here.
28:51So I've been myself in constant contact with all the senior leaders in the US,
28:57Zelensky yesterday, also European leaders in Paris and through other ways, and phone calls.
29:04A lot is happening to make sure that the peace deal can be backed up by strong security guarantees.
29:10Because we have to make sure that whenever there is a peace deal in Ukraine, that it is lasting,
29:14that it is enduring. As Pete Hexhead, the former US Secretary of State of Defense,
29:19or sorry, the new Secretary of State of Defense of the US has said last week,
29:25it should not be a Minsk three, it has to be lasting. And then you need security guarantees.
29:39Thank you very much. I have a question more targeted towards the future. So how do you
29:43see the possible future expansion or enlargement of NATO, especially when considering countries
29:49such as Ukraine or Georgia? Thank you very much. Well, in the end, it is it is the sovereign right
29:54of countries somehow within the Northern Atlantic. I mean, if it is New Zealand,
30:00it's a bit difficult because it's not part of the Northern Atlantic. We do, by the way,
30:03have a strong cooperation with New Zealand, Australia, Japan and Korea, the IP4 countries.
30:09But of course, they will not become members as they are not part of the
30:14Euro-Atlantic. But countries within the Euro-Atlantic who want to join can make that
30:18known. And then there is a whole process in place step by step to potentially make that happen.
30:25In the end, that's up to each of these countries. And I can only repeat, as I said before,
30:30that Russia has no vote or veto on who joins NATO. Only when they themselves want to join NATO,
30:37then they have a vote and a veto. But I've not seen that application recently. So
30:42I don't think that will happen. And on Ukraine, that's very much on the table. I mean,
30:48it was decided in Washington that there is this irreversible path of Ukraine
30:52to become a member of NATO. But to be honest to the U.S., having said we don't want to be
30:58part of a peace process now, it was not promised to Ukraine that it will be part of a peace deal.
31:04So we have to see how these peace talks end. But there's no automaticity. But we have agreed
31:10on Ukraine becoming in the future a member of NATO.
31:18There's somebody right at the back.
31:22Thank you very much.
31:27How did you end up here?
31:30I'm an exchange student from the Netherlands.
31:34And why did you decide for this fantastic institution?
31:37Because, I don't know, I want to go to Eastern, well, Central Europe,
31:41because I have lived in Western. I'm sorry, everyone, Central Europe.
31:46Central Europe.
31:47Central Europe. I'm sorry. I've lived in Western Europe all my life. And I'm very
31:52interested in the European Union. And I want to know what life is here.
31:55Great. How long are you here now?
31:57Two weeks.
31:58Two weeks. Okay. So you have only 13 days more of experience of living in Ohio.
32:04So it's really, really cool to see you here, Mr. Well, ex-Mr. President.
32:09I have a question. It's a bit of a hypothetical one. But in the news,
32:13you see that Zelensky and Trump are a bit arguing. Trump called Zelensky a dictator.
32:19Do you think it's likely that Trump will make a deal with Putin without Ukraine support?
32:25And if Ukraine doesn't support it, what should the European Union do next, in your opinion?
32:32Well, of course, Ukraine has to be part and will be part, and the U.S. has said this,
32:37of peace negotiations, because this is about their country. So I'm really not worried there.
32:43They will be part of that. But it only started, I mean, a couple of days ago. So it is
32:48such an early stage. And I have confidence in the team in the U.S. negotiating this.
32:55But no doubt Ukraine will be involved in peace talks. Absolutely.
33:03Thank you. So I would like to ask you a question. Is it possible that Slovakia
33:16would be excluded from closer negotiations because of our Russian government?
33:23In the case it's needed to do so. It's a tough question.
33:27You would be excluded from what?
33:29From negotiations, some closer negotiations in NATO?
33:34Let me make perfectly clear. In NATO and in the EU, you not always agree. In the end,
33:41you do agree. It takes time sometimes. You negotiate, et cetera. But many countries will
33:46start from many different points of view, and then you will gradually come together.
33:50Slovakia is one of the most integrated, I think the most integrated country compared
33:56to the Netherlands. You are part of the EU, Schengen, the Eurozone, NATO. You are actively
34:01participating in all those formats and structures. Highly respected.
34:07So I don't think that worry is warranted. No, not at all.
34:17Good afternoon, Secretary General. As a Ukrainian, in the context of game theory…
34:23You're Ukrainian?
34:24Yes.
34:25I'm interested especially in the context of game theory in political science. How does
34:32NATO assess the ongoing war in Ukraine as a strategic interaction between Russia,
34:38NATO, and Ukraine? Specifically, how do you evaluate the payoff structures and potential
34:44Nash equilibria in this scenario, considering the escalation risk and deterrent strategies?
34:51Of course, NATO is not part of the conflict. But NATO, through the command in Wiesbaden,
34:58is coordinating the training and the military equipment coming into Ukraine and through
35:06JTAC, the center in Poland. Collectively, we're capturing all the lessons. But it is
35:11up to individual allies and countries outside NATO, bilaterally with Ukraine coming to security
35:18agreements. I mean, my country and many other countries have drawn up bilateral security
35:23agreements with Ukraine. And I think that is very much very important. But to your question,
35:29of course, it is, first of all, an unprovoked Russian onslaught on your country, starting in
35:352014 and then the full-scale war breaking out next Monday three years ago, with hundreds of
35:42thousands of people on both sides of the border killed, seriously wounded. It is unbelievably
35:48sad when you think about it, and so many beautiful cities in Ukraine being seriously damaged and
35:56having to be rebuilt. So the cost of all of this is enormous. But it is your country fighting
36:03for its survival and for its sovereignty. That is between you and Russia. But we also have to
36:10acknowledge that Russia is working with others, with North Korea, with China and with Iran.
36:15So when a peace deal is reached on Ukraine, let's make sure that once Xi Jinping, the first
36:21secretary of the Communist Party of China, will be watching this and will be interested in the
36:26outcome. And if it is a weak deal for the West, he might think of some next steps himself in the
36:33Pacific. So all the theatres, as so-called, the North Atlantic and the inner Pacific,
36:38they are more and more connected. Thank you. Can I give you one more question?
36:45You have the microphone, so you have the power.
36:49What advice would you give to the future generation of Ukrainian leaders?
36:54Well, first of all, it's not up to me. I can only say I have the highest respect
36:59for what Ukraine is doing and enduring. You have, from day one, been fighting, where Putin
37:08would think in three or four days you would have to give in to him, and you didn't.
37:16You fought back. You were able to capture back. Large parts of the country Putin originally
37:22was able to capture in February 2022. We all remember that famous video Zelensky,
37:28President Zelensky made when he was offered a right to Poland, to get into safety,
37:40and that he said, I don't need a right, I need ammunition. And then he came out of the
37:44presidential palace saying, I'm here with the prime minister, the defense minister,
37:48the chief of the military, myself, the president. We are all here. And that was a rallying call,
37:54I think, to the whole of Ukraine, and one of the most moving short clips I have ever seen.
37:59In all its simpleness, extremely effective, because it showed the leadership,
38:05not only of the senior leaders in Ukraine, but also of the general population.
38:09But for the young people in Ukraine, I mean, I wish for you this war to end as soon as possible,
38:15and then you will have to rebuild the country. But you will have so many stories to share
38:21about how proud soldiers and proud citizens have withstood this Russian onslaught,
38:30that I hope you will be very proud, that you will share those stories, and they will go down
38:34the generations. And of course, that you will build your future and will have happy lives
38:41and really be integrated, as you wish, in the Euro-Atlantic structures like the EU and NATO.
38:47I really wish that for your country.
38:49Okay. Thank you very much for your answer.
38:52We will take one more question.
38:55Good afternoon.
38:57I would like to ask...
38:58Are you also from the Netherlands?
39:00No.
39:01No, no, no.
39:02But my sister lives in the Netherlands. She found a Dutch guy.
39:06Very good.
39:08Do you think that increasing the contribution of the countries might lead to their retravel
39:12from NATO, especially considering the misinformation campaigns? Thank you.
39:16Again, I missed the first half of the question, because the microphone was a bit too high.
39:20If you think that increasing the contribution of the countries might lead to their
39:26retravel from NATO?
39:28No, I don't think any country will withdraw from NATO. Why would they? I mean, we are a
39:32collective defense. We are the strongest and most powerful defense corporation in world history.
39:38I mean, yeah, if you want to withdraw, you can. This is a democratic organization. Nobody will
39:42stop you. But I've not spoken to any leader who wants to leave NATO. No, people want to join.
39:49Countries want to join. Nobody wants to leave.
39:52But being in NATO, we have to make sure that it is not one paying more than the rest.
39:58And at the moment, of course, what we see is that the U.S. is about a little bit more
40:05than 50 percent of overall NATO economy, but is paying much more than 50 percent of the
40:11overall NATO defense spending. And we see some countries on the eastern flank like Lithuania
40:17and Latvia and Estonia, but also Poland really ramping up now defense spending.
40:22We see other countries now rapidly following, like Sweden and Denmark.
40:27I'm hearing some encouraging signals from other countries, maybe even yours,
40:34here in Slovakia, but not up to me to make any announcements.
40:38But that gives me hope that we will get to a much higher number to reach with a credible time path
40:47at the Hague summit to decide on that, and not because Donald Trump wants this.
40:54Yes, also because he is right that America should have a fair deal,
40:58but because we want to protect ourselves.
40:59And we know, as I said in my short introductory remarks,
41:02we cannot defend ourselves going forward given the rapid ramp-up of defense spending
41:08and production in Russia. So we have to do it. We all have to do it to make sure that
41:13we maintain our deterrence, that he will never, ever try again to capture one square mile or
41:18kilometer of Ukraine, but also not to capture any square mile or kilometer of any NATO country
41:27whenever he would wish so. He knows that he wants the full onslaught of all of us
41:31on Russia. And therefore, we have to remain strong. And that is why we need more spending.
41:35Please help me there. Tell your politicians to do this. Tell your banks and pension funds
41:39that they can invest in defense. I really need you as ambassadors here. That's why I'm here.
41:44I mean, you thought I was here for you. No, you were here for me. You are, from now on,
41:48my ambassadors to make this happen. And thank you for that. I appreciate it.
41:53Well, thank you very much for joining us here. Thank everybody for coming.
41:58I'm really thankful that you provided a sense of reassurement to many people.
42:03And urgency, I hope.
42:05Definitely. I know there are many people from Ukraine in the audience, and I think they
42:09really appreciate your reassurement. So thank you so much for joining us. Thank you for
42:14linking in your speech Jan Amos Komenius. And we really appreciate that you really mentioned
42:22this. And we would just like to ask you to do a signature in our guest book before we say goodbye.
42:42I can make one final remark to the students. Thank you for being here, first of all. And
42:54maybe one advice. I've always lived my life in the assumption that it is easier to ask
43:01for forgiveness afterwards than for permission up front. So take some risks. And when you have
43:07strong ideas, follow them, even if you have many seniors telling you you can't. Because
43:12potentially you might be right. And if not, at least you learn something. So really enjoy your
43:17life. Enjoy your studies here. Let's stay together and make sure that we do strange
43:23things with our talents that makes the whole world better. Thank you.