Brussels, 18 October 2024
Also avalable in French
NATO Defence Ministers wrapped up two days of talks on Friday (18 October) with a commitment to further support Ukraine, strengthen ties with partners in the Asia-Pacific and reinforce the Alliance’s deterrence and defence.
“Strengthening our deterrence and defence is this Alliance’s top priority, because keeping our one billion people safe is NATO’s most sacred duty,” NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte said after the meeting. The Secretary General cited greater defence industrial capacity, more secure supply chains, and new technologies as critical to ensuring the Alliance’s security. Mr. Rutte added that NATO was making a fresh push for common munitions standards and more joint procurement to drive down costs and improve ease of use among Allies. NATO operations in the Western Balkans and Iraq were also on the agenda.
Addressing the issue of Allied airspace breached by Russian drones, the Secretary General said that air and missile defence remains an Alliance priority. He highlighted the airspace violation in Romania yesterday and affirmed NATO’s solidarity with Romania, commending Romanian authorities and SACEUR for “their quick and effective response.” This was possible, in part, because NATO is stepping up surveillance on its eastern flank as part of a broader effort to reinforce deterrence. Mr Rutte went on to emphasise that Allies are purchasing hundreds of modern fighter aircraft and air defences systems.
Warning of Russia’s “increasingly irresponsible rhetoric”, the Secretary General said the Alliance’s nuclear deterrent remains “vital” to preserve peace, prevent coercion and deter aggression.
On Thursday (17 October), NATO Defence Ministers were joined for the first time by their counterparts from Australia, Japan, the Republic of Korea and New Zealand for talks on common security challenges, including in the context of Ukraine and the support that China, North Korea, and Iran are providing to Russia’s war effort.
Later on Thursday, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky joined Ministers in the NATO-Ukraine Council and provided an overview of his plan for ending the war. The discussion among Defence Ministers with their Ukrainian counterpart, Rustem Umerov, focused on Ukraine’s most urgent needs, including equipment and training. The Secretary General noted that work is well underway to set up NATO’s new command to coordinate security assistance and training for Ukraine, and to deliver on the pledge of 40 billion euros in military aid. He reiterated that Ukraine’s path to NATO membership is irreversible. “Ukraine will be member of NATO, there is no doubt about it, and until that happens we will make sure that Ukraine has everything it needs to prevail,” he said.
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- ENGLISH – Press conference by NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte following the second day of the meeting of NATO Defence Ministers – 18 Oct. 2024 |download mp3
- FRENCH – Press conference by NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte following the second day of the meeting of NATO Defence Ministers – 18 Oct. 2024 |download mp3
- UKRAINIAN – Press conference by NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte following the second day of the meeting of NATO Defence Ministers – 18 Oct. 2024 |download mp3
- RUSSIAN – Press conference by NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte following the second day of the meeting of NATO Defence Ministers – 18 Oct. 2024 |download mp3
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Source – NATO
Press conference by NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte following the second day of the meetings of NATO Defence Ministers
Brussels, 18 October 2024
(As delivered)
Good afternoon. We are a little bit late, so thank you for waiting.
Today we concluded two busy days of meetings with NATO Defence Ministers and our close partners. Strengthening our deterrence and defence is this Alliance’s top priority. Because keeping our one billion people safe is NATO’s most sacred duty. And that is why we are ramping up our defence industrial capacity. Strengthening our supply chains. Investing in new defence capabilities, and harnessing new technologies.
We are manufacturing new ships, combat vehicles and jets, and producing more ammunition and artillery. But with supply chains increasingly vulnerable to compromise, we must become more self-sufficient. So that we remain ready and able to respond to threats across all domains at all times.
Today, Allied Defence Ministers have agreed a new NATO initiative on standardisation. Standards are critical to our ability to fight together, and more robust standards will help reduce defence costs. As part of this initiative, we will be speeding up the development of NATO standards, enhancing their implementation rate, and expanding their scope to include new innovative military capabilities. We must make the most of our unique ability to act together, all 32 of us, because that is what gives our Alliance strength beyond the sum of its parts. We will have more to say on this at the February defence ministerial.
Allies agreed that air and missile defence remains an Alliance priority. This is all the more important given Russia’s war against Ukraine, which has resulted in multiple NATO airspace violations. Including just yesterday in Romania. Let me express NATO’s solidarity with Romania and also commend the Romanian authorities and SACEUR for the quick and effective response to this incident. We will continue to increase surveillance, exchange information, and coordinate individual and collective responses.
We have also recently significantly increased our presence on NATO’s eastern flank, and strengthened NATO’s air policing mission. Allies plan to acquire thousands of air defence and artillery systems and many hundreds of modern combat aircraft, mostly 5th generation F-35s. Allies are buying 1,000 Patriot missiles to refill their stocks.
Earlier this month, air, maritime and land forces from 12 Allied Nations gathered in Greece to exercise sophisticated high-end air defence tactics as part of NATO’s new exercise, Ramstein Flag 24. And the new Aegis Ashore missile defence base in Poland boosts our ability to defend against the growing global threat of ballistic missiles.
Russia remains the most significant and direct threat to the security of the Allies. And Putin is resorting to increasingly irresponsible rhetoric. Moscow may be loud but NATO is strong. In a more uncertain world, it is vital that we continue to modernize our capabilities, and exercise together to keep our conventional and nuclear forces strong.
Just this Monday, NATO’s annual nuclear exercise ‘Steadfast Noon’ began, with more than 60 aircraft taking part in training flights. These are routine, recurrent exercises, far from Russia’s borders that do not involve live weapons. The fundamental purpose of NATO’s nuclear capability is to preserve peace, prevent coercion and deter aggression.
Today, at the meeting, we also discussed NATO’s operations in the Western Balkans and Iraq. In Kosovo, Allies continue to work together to ensure our KFOR mission has the forces and resources it needs to maintain a safe and secure environment for all.
In the Middle East, NATO Mission Iraq continues to be an important contributor to stability. To ensure the Iraqi security forces are able to fight terrorist groups and provide a safe environment for Iraq’s economy and society to prosper. NATO is also deepening its political dialogue with Iraq. Because we have a shared interest in stable, secure and prosperous Middle East.
On Ukraine. As you know we are establishing NATO Security Assistance and Training for Ukraine and we expect this command to become fully operational in the coming months. And we are well on our way to fulfilling our pledge to provide Ukraine 40 billion euros of military support within the next year.
We will continue to stand by Ukraine. As we stand by the right of every nation to live in freedom, sovereignty, and security. Supporting Ukraine is not an act of charity. It is also an investment in our own security, because the cost of letting Putin have his way, would be much higher than the cost of supporting Ukraine.
Ukraine’s fight is our fight.
***
And with that, I am ready to take your questions.
Sabine Siebold, Reuters
Thank you, SecGen. Ukraine is facing what will likely be the harshest winter of the war, with huge parts of the energy and infrastructure destroyed by Russian attacks. Can you tell us what else NATO will put on the table to help Ukraine through the winter?
NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte
Yes. Here Allies are, and also the European Union, I might add, are working hard on winterization. And you’re absolutely right that the energy infrastructure is in a difficult situation, and that will have an impact on the average Ukrainians during winter. And we want to minimize that impact and help the Ukrainians do that. So that is done through NATO Allies, also, the EU is helping here. Of course, what NATO is primarily focused on is making sure that the training takes place, that massive military aid gets into Ukraine. But you’re absolutely right. Also, winterization has to be one of our priorities.
Binna Chung, Yonhap
Thank you. Binna from Yonhap News Agency. Secretary General, the South Korean Spy Agency today announced that North Korea has decided to send large scale troops to Russia and including special forces. I know that yesterday, you said you have no evidence, but since the situation has changed overnight, I want to ask you this question again. Thank you.
NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte
Well again, obviously, we are in close contact with all our partners, particularly, of course, the Republic of Korea. And yesterday, we have been meeting here with the IP4 partners, including Australia, New Zealand, Japan and Korea. So we will certainly have that conversation with them to get all the evidence on the table. So at this moment, our official position is that we cannot confirm reports that North Koreans are actively now as soldiers engaged in the war effort. But this, of course, might change. And anyway, even if North Korea is not physically there at the battlefield, then still they are helping to fuel Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine in every way they can. And together with others like Iran, China’s playing a role here, obviously, and of course, Russia itself.
Iryna Somer, Interfax Ukraine
Thank you so much. Question regarding yesterday’s NATO Ukraine Council, as I understand, it was first discussion regarding Zelenskyy Victory Plan, with first point as an invitation to NATO membership. So I would like to know how this discussion went. What kind of temperature was in the room. Somebody said, yes. Somebody say, let’s wait. And what will happen next? Thank you.
NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte
Yes, I must say that the main focus on the discussion was to get massive military aid into Ukraine from, of course, the armed forces here in the west, so Allies providing that military aid to Ukraine. We have seen the announcement yesterday, Australia, the US so very recently, but Germany, a couple of days before, and many other Allies still providing massive aid into Ukraine. And that will continue. And as I said yesterday, Vladimir, Vladimirovich Putin, would be wrongly advised thinking that we will give up on this. No, we will continue doing this as long as is necessary. And that was the main focus of the debate last night. Obviously, we all know that Ukraine will become a member of NATO, so the question is exactly when and when the invitation will take place. But that was not the main issue of the debate last night.
NATO Spokesperson Farah Dakhlallah
Okay, we’ll go to NPR, fourth row.
Teri Schultz, Deutsche Welle
Thank you, Mr. Secretary General. Terry Schultz. Yesterday, there had not yet been confirmation of the death of the Hamas leader. Today, that has happened you spoke about terrorism in your opening remarks. This is a big concern for NATO. Has there been an assessment as to how this death will impact the fight for terrorism that could very well affect NATO Allies, if not the Alliance’s own efforts. What is your assessment?
NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte
Well, let’s not forget that this man was instrumental, basically, the main architect behind the attack, the terrorist attack of Hamas on Israel on the seventh of October 2023, which cost 1200, 1300 people their lives, which was a full terrorist onslaught attack on Israel. So, as I said yesterday, I won’t personally miss him. Obviously, there is the wider question of terrorism. NATO is, of course, vigilant in making sure that the Alliance stays safe, and terrorism is a particular point of attention for the Alliance. We are not involved as an Alliance in the Middle East. Obviously, we take a careful look at what is happening because of our NATO mission in Iraq. But that is not playing a role there, in the fighting taking place now – let’s say Israel and Gaza and Lebanon. But still, we want our troops to be safe, so that is a particular point of concern. So, in that sense, we are, and our Allies obviously are, on a day to day basis, navigating the crisis. But again, NATO itself is not playing a role there.
NATO Spokesperson Farah Dakhlallah
Okay, we’ll go to Fuji TV, please.
Naoto Yamagishi, Fuji TV
Thank you very much. Fuji television, Japan, Yamagishi. Two questions about the IP four yesterday, the Japanese Minister shared and (inaudible) about the situation around Taiwan, about the Chinese military exercises. Hearing this, what is the message that NATO is sending to the region or to the specific countries? And secondly, what are your plans for the next steps with the IP4. Are you planning to invite the leaders of the countries? Please share your plans. Thank you.
NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte
Yes. The positive of having this relationship between the Euro-Atlantic, so NATO, and our partners in the Indo Pacific is that we can exchange information, that we understand at a more detailed level what is happening. Because we cannot think that what is happening here is not impacting on the Indo Pacific, and what’s happening in the Indo Pacific has a direct impact on what is happening here in the Euro-Atlantic. So obviously it was extremely useful to listen to our partners from New Zealand, Australia, Japan, South Korea, and basically understanding better. This was not just about China or Taiwan. This was about all the developments in the region playing out, including what is happening now with North Korea, which was a particular focus, of course, of the Korean representative yesterday, and that is, I think, the strength. So, therefore we want to expand on this, and it comes to your second question. I think the positive here is that we it was the meeting, was the message, the fact that the leaders were coming was the message itself. And now increasingly, we are moving beyond that, and we are getting to the content part. For example, industry, an issue for the partners in the Indo Pacific, as well as here. How to get how to ramp up industry production innovation, and how to deal with cyber threats, threats. So, all these issues, we decided we want to work closely together on. We are already, in many cases, like with Australia and Japan and others, with Korea and New Zealand. So that was very positive. And yes, we will continue this, and I expect leaders and Defence Ministers and others to participate regularly in events in NATO.
NATO Spokesperson Farah Dakhlallah
Okay, AFP, please.
Olivier Baube, AFP
Good morning. Secretary General. Olivier, from AFP. I would like to go back on the dinner last night. Are you satisfied with the answer given by the Allies to the President Zelenskyy victory plan? Did you get the unity you promised yesterday to President Zelenskyy, unity of the Allies, of course? Thank you.
NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte
There is total unity in this Alliance that we want Ukraine to prevail. We want Putin not to get his way, because this is about our values, about our collective safety. And for all these reasons, we will continue making sure that Ukraine has what it needs to in terms of in military and material goods, etc. All that aid getting into Ukraine to fight off the Russians and this Russian attack. That doesn’t mean that yesterday we discussed line item by line item, the whole victory plan. That was not a debate last night. We respectfully took note of it. We all agree, I believe – I didn’t take a poll in the room – that it is an important signal that the Ukrainian government and the President have aligned themselves on this victory plan. This will no doubt be part of the ongoing discussions with Ukraine. But the main issue last night was how to make sure that nobody in Moscow might think that we want to slow down or whatever, know that we want to ramp up industry production to replenish here and get more aid into Ukraine, that we want to support the Ukrainian defence production capacity, because there is a huge capacity Ukraine themselves to produce, for example, drones and other things. And to keep, of course, all the support from the Alliance in terms of training, etc, are ongoing. Therefore Wiesbaden, NSATU, the commands we are setting up are crucially important.
NATO Spokesperson Farah Dakhlallah
Okay, over to Swedish Radio, next to AFP.
Jan Andersson, SR
Mr Secretary, why not give Ukraine invitee status as future NATO member, compared with Sweden and Finland? And I even asked you yesterday morning about Middle East, could the killing of Sinwar do something more worse or better in the context of the NATO member state?
NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte
On your second question, we follow, of course, the developments in the Middle East extremely carefully, and we are highly worried about the loss of life and not about this one gentleman. Because there, I cannot feel sorry for him.
But of course, the many people losing their lives at this moment in Gaza, in Israel, in Lebanon, is heart-breaking. And therefore Allies, as I said before, they are trying to do whatever they can to navigate this crisis. But NATO is not part of what is ongoing now in the Middle East, we are a Transatlantic Alliance, and as Jens Stoltenberg said before, we cannot solve every problem in the world.
We really have to concentrate on the things we are working on. And through our mission in Iraq, of course, we are in the region, and we are very much looking at the safety of our troops there and their ability to be effective in supporting the Iraqi government in building up their defence capability, etc.
On the other question, as I said before, Ukraine will be member of NATO, and I will applaud that day, and obviously, including what we said in Washington, the irreversible path to membership, which was a considerable increase in language, in signalling to the Ukrainian people, that their future will be in NATO.
There will be the discussion amongst Allies and with Ukraine on the path towards NATO. But when you look at what is happening practically, the interoperability, JTECH being set up in Poland, which will help with the interoperability between Ukraine and NATO, the bilateral security agreements of many Allies helping Ukraine on their paths to NATO membership. The 40 billion pledge, the setting up of the command in Wiesbaden, this all collectively constitutes as a sort of pathway, a bridge to membership.
So that leaves only the question, which still politically, is an important question, and for many other reasons, of the exact step by step approach towards membership, and that is something we are ongoingly debating, of course, also amongst ourselves.
NATO Spokesperson Farah Dakhlallah
Okay, I’ll give a final question to TVR Moldova at the back there.
Corina Roemischer, TVR MOLDOVA
Thank you, Corina Roemischer TVR Moldova, Republic of Moldova. Secretary General, in light of Moldova, October 20 referendum on new accession and regional security concern, what steps is NATO considering to enhance defence in Eastern Europe, especially in the Republic of Moldova?
NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte
Yes, of course, we are working closely with Maia Sandu’s government. Can I personally applaud her leadership of what she is doing and trying to build a stable democracy in Moldova, which is able also to protect against all the, particularly hybrid interference, which is taking place from Russia. Hybrid interference, including Moldova, we see with all Allies, but also with Moldova.
And Russia clearly has a goal here, which is to somehow derail Moldova’s pro-European trajectory, and we are helping them in every way we can, in building their defense capabilities, helping them in countering disinformation campaigns and everything else, to make sure that they are as strong as possible to counter this, and that free elections can take place, and that Moldova can develop as a free society, which I really wish for you, will happen.
NATO Spokesperson Farah Dakhlallah
Thank you very much. Thank you.
NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte
Thank you. Have a great weekend.
Source – NATO