Opening remarks
by NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg at the meeting of the North Atlantic Council at the level of Heads of State and Government
(As delivered)
Good morning to all of you and welcome to this extraordinary NATO Summit.
We gather at the critical time for our security.
We are united in condemning the Kremlin’s unprovoked aggression.
And in our support for Ukraine’s sovereignty and territorial integrity.
We are determined to continue to impose costs on Russia to bring about the end of this brutal war.
We pay tribute to the great courage of the Ukrainian people and the Ukrainian armed forces. Fighting for their freedom and their rights.
We also recognize those in Russia who are bravely speaking out against the war. We hear their voices. They matter.
Today we will discuss Allied support to Ukraine. We will also address NATO’s efforts to strengthen our defences, now and for years to come. We are already doing more. On land. At sea. And in the air. This is necessary to respond to a new security reality in Europe.
This concludes the public part of the meeting. I thank the media for joining us at the opening. And we will continue our deliberations in a moment. Thank you so much for joining us.