Opening remarks
by NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg at the meeting of the North Atlantic Council in Foreign Ministers session
(As delivered)
Good afternoon and welcome to this meeting of NATO Foreign Ministers.
Almost six weeks ago the war in Ukraine started, and the war in Ukraine continues to rage, devastating lives and destroying cities.
We continue to apply unprecedented pressure on Putin to end the war, and reiterate our ironclad commitment to defend every inch of Allied territory.
Today, we will discuss our continued assistance to Ukraine and the brave Ukrainians defending their country.
We'll also look at the further support we can provide to other partners at risk from Russian aggression.
Russia's invasion of Ukraine has profoundly changed the security environment in Europe.
So as we look towards our Madrid summit in June, we will also discuss the longer term adaptation of our deterrence and defence.
In this more dangerous and competitive world, NATO will continue to protect our nations, support our partners and defend our values.
This concludes the public part of the meeting. I thank the media for joining us at the opening and we will continue the meeting in just a moment.