We have just finished an extraordinary summit of NATO leaders to address the
biggest threat to our security in a generation:
President Putin’s war against Ukraine. The people of Ukraine are resisting with
courage and determination, fighting for their freedom and for their future.
We stand with them.
President Zelenskyy
addressed us with an impassioned message,
thanking NATO Allies for the significant support we are providing and stressing the vital importance of even more military assistance.
Today, NATO leaders agreed that we must and will provide further support to
Ukraine.
We will continue to impose unprecedented costs on Russia.
And we will reinforce Allied deterrence and defense.
Leaders approved our four new NATO battlegroups -- in Bulgaria, Hungary, Romania, and Slovakia.
These are in addition to the four already in the Baltic countries and Poland.
So we have eight multinational NATO battlegroups now from the Baltic Sea to the Black Sea.
Across Europe, there are one hundred thousand US troops supporting NATO efforts.
And European Allies and Canada have also stepped up.
We have 40,000 forces under direct NATO command, mostly in the eastern part of
the Alliance, backed by major air and naval power, including an unprecedented five carrier strike groups from the High North to the
Mediterranean.
Today, NATO leaders agreed to reset our deterrence and
defense for the longer-term -- to face a new security reality. On land, we will
have substantially more forces in the eastern part of the Alliance, at higher
readiness, with more prepositioned equipment and supplies. In the air, we will
deploy more jets and strengthen our integrated air and missile defense.
At sea, we will have carrier strike groups, submarines and significant numbers
of combat ships on a persistent basis.
We will also strengthen our cyber defenses, and enhance our exercises, focusing on collective
defense and interoperability.
I expect we will decide on the details at our next Summit in Madrid in June.
Today, Allied leaders also agreed to provide
further support to Ukraine, helping to uphold their fundamental right to self-defense.
Allies are also equipping Ukraine with significant military supplies, including anti-tank and air
defense systems, and drones, which are proving highly effective, as well as substantial financial and humanitarian aid.
Today, we agreed to do more, including cybersecurity
assistance and equipment to help Ukraine protect against biological, chemical,
radiological, and nuclear threats.
This could include detection, protection, and medical supplies, as well as
training for decontamination and crisis management.
We are determined to do all we can to support Ukraine.
And I welcome the concrete offers of assistance made by Allies today.
At the same time, we have a responsibility to ensure the conflict does not
escalate further because this would be even more dangerous and more
devastating. Allies agreed that we must also increase our support for other
partners at risk from Russian threats and interference, including Georgia, and Bosnia and Herzegovina.
Working together, and with the European Union, we must help them uphold their
sovereignty and strengthen their resilience.
We also addressed Beijing’s role in the crisis.
Today, Allied leaders called on China to refrain from supporting Russia’s war
effort.
China must not provide economic or military support for the Russian invasion.
Instead, Beijing should use its significant influence on Russia, and promote an immediate, peaceful resolution.
Allies also agreed that Belarus must stop acting as an accomplice to Putin’s
invasion.
At today’s meeting, leaders reaffirmed our strong commitment to NATO’s Open Door
policy, under Article 10 of the Washington Treaty. NATO enlargement has been an
historic success, spreading democracy, freedom, and prosperity across Europe.
One month since the start of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, NATO’s security
environment has fundamentally changed, for the long haul.
And we are responding.
But security does not come for free.
And doing more will cost more.
So NATO leaders agreed to redouble efforts to meet the Defense Investment Pledge
we made in 2014.
Allies will submit additional plans on how to meet the pledge in time for the
Madrid Summit in June.
And I welcome that a number of Allies today announced plans for significant
increases in defense spending.
At this dangerous time, transatlantic unity and solidarity are vital.
Europe and North America are standing, and will continue to stand, strong
together in NATO.
With that, I am ready to take your questions.
Natasha Bertrand (CNN): Hi, Mr. Secretary General, thank you. President
Zelenskyy
in his address to NATO accused Russia of deploying phosphorus munitions. I am
wondering whether NATO has seen evidence of that and what your response is or
would be? And then I am wondering, did you discuss during this meeting a
permanent basing of forces in any of these countries such as the Baltics and
abandoning the NATO-Russia Founding Act?
NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg: So we are resetting NATO’s deterrence
and defense for the long term, with more troops, with more air assets and more
maritime capabilities. We have already increased our presence in the east and
today we decided on four new battlegroups. The leaders agreed to task our
military commanders to provide options for a long-term reset of our presence, of
our military posture in the eastern part of the Alliance and across the whole
Alliance. Details will be then decided at our summit in June but that comes on
top for what we have already done. So this is long term, we are prepared for
long haul because we can already today say that the Russian invasion, President
Putin’s invasion of Ukraine has changed our security environment for the long
term. It is a new reality. It is a new normal and NATO is responding for the
long term. We have seen very credible reports about the use of use of military
force against civilians. Of course, this is a great concern for all NATO Allies.
NBC: Secretary General thank you for taking my question. How do you believe NATO
will respond if China begins to support Russia economically and perhaps with
military supplies? And also do you believe that there is a role to play for NATO
when it comes to alleviating energy costs? And I'm talking about speaking
directly to Saudi Arabia and other OPEC producers. Thank you.
NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg: So NATO Allies are coordinating their
efforts when it comes to also energy security. It was also addressed in the
meeting today to step up supplies, to diversify sources of supply and also to
reduce dependence on supplies from Russia and later today, I will also
participate in the G7 meeting. In different frameworks, G7, working with the EU,
there are different formats where NATO Allies address the need to strengthen
energy security and reduce dependence on Russian oil and gas. Our message to
China is that they should join the rest of the world and clearly condemn the
brutal war against Ukraine and not support Russia and neither with economic
support or with military support.
Irina Somer (Interfax Ukraine): I would like to ask you if Polish leadership put
at the table today for discussion, the proposal to send peacekeeping mission to
Ukraine and if yes what kind of discussion it was? And is there some conclusion?
Thank you.
NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg: We discussed a wide range of issues and
the message is that we have to stand united and also that we need to provide
support to Ukraine. At the same time, we have a responsibility to ensure that
this conflict does not become a full-fledged war between NATO and Russia. And
that is also the reason why Allies have declared that we will not deploy troops
on the ground in in Ukraine because the only way to do that is to be prepared to
engage in full conflict with Russian troops.
Henry Foy (Financial Times): Thank you very much, Secretary General.
Congratulations on your annual extension. You said in the statement that Allies
agree to ‘enhance preparedness and readiness for chemical, biological,
radiological and nuclear threats’. Is that based on credible intelligence that
those threats could be imminent, and how does the Alliance strengthen its
protection against those threats? Thank you.
NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg: So we are concerned, partly because we
see the rhetoric and we see that Russia is trying to create some kind of pretext
accusing Ukraine, United States, NATO Allies [of] preparing to use chemical and
biological weapons. And we have seen before that this way of accusing others is
actually a way to create a pretext for doing the same themselves. And of course,
accusations against Ukraine and NATO Allies are absolutely false. Any use of
chemical weapons will totally change the nature of the conflict. It will be a
blatant violation of international law and it will have widespread consequences
and, of course, be extremely dangerous. It will affect the people in Ukraine.
But there's also a risk that it will have a direct effect on people living in
NATO countries, because we can see contamination, we can see the spread of
chemical agents or biological weapons into our countries. We also know that
Russia has used chemical agents against its own opposition, and they have used
it on NATO territory, in Salisbury, before. And we also know that Russia has
facilitated, supported, the Assad regime in Syria when they used chemical
weapons against their own population.
So this just highlights the importance of ending this war immediately because
this is a dangerous situation and therefore we impose the sanctions, and
therefore we support Ukraine. Allies agreed to supply equipment to help Ukraine
protect against chemical, biological, radiological and nuclear threats. This
could include detection equipment, protection and medical support, as well as
training for decontamination and crisis management. We are also enhancing
Allies’ preparedness and readiness for chemical and biological and nuclear
threats. Our top military commander, General Wolters, has activated NATO's
chemical, biological, radiological and nuclear defense elements, and Allies are
deploying additional chemical and biological and nuclear defenses to reinforce
our existing and new battlegroups. So we are taking measures both to support
Ukraine, and also to defend ourselves.
James Bays (Al Jazeera): President Zelenskyy, when he addressed… you recall the
fact he first spoke to you a month ago, and he says he didn't get clear answers.
So this time he asked you specifically for 1% of all your tanks, for 1% of all
your aircraft, for multi-launch rocket systems, anti-ship weapons and means of
air defense – a very specific list. What is your clear answer?
NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg: We all listened very carefully to
President Zelenskyy. And many of the leaders in the room have had contacts with
him over these weeks. I also spoke with him and the Ukrainian defense minister
participated in our defense ministerial meeting last week. We listened
carefully. And of course, we took note of his very compassionate message to all
NATO Allies.
NATO Allies provide significant support to Ukraine. And we provide also lethal
weapons, advanced systems, and also systems that help them to shoot down planes
and attack battle tanks with anti-tank weapons, and many other types of systems
including drones. I will not go into the details of the exact type of systems we
are deploying. There is close contact between NATO Allies and Ukraine. But what
I can say is that Allies do what they can to support Ukraine with weapons so
Ukraine can defend themselves. Self-defense is a right enshrined in the UN
Charter.
At the same time, we have a responsibility to prevent this conflict from
becoming a full-fledged war in Europe, involving not only Ukraine and Russia,
but NATO Allies and Russia. That will be more dangerous and more devastating.
And I think we have to be honest about that, and that's exactly what we have
been in our meeting today, and also what I say to you in the press conference
now.
James Bays (Al Jazeera): So again, no clear answer?
NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg: Well, what we do is that we are
delivering a lot of equipment, and that is an answer. But I will not go into the
details. I don't think that's wise for operational reasons if I listed exactly
what and when and how we are delivering essential equipment to Ukraine. NATO
Allies have stepped up and it is essential for the progress they have been able
to make in the fight against the invading Russian forces.
NATO Spokesperson Oana Lungescu: Thank you very much, colleagues. I know there
are many questions. I'm afraid the Secretary General needs to go to the G7
meeting, but there will be other briefings throughout the day.
Thank you so much.
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