Joint press conference

President Rinkēvičs,
Dear Edgars,

It is great to be back in Riga to meet you again. 
And thank you for hosting me and my delegation for our meeting earlier today and also for hosting the B9 Summit later today.
And let me also thank you for bestowing on me the Three Star Order, this is really an honour for me and recognition to the important work that NATO has been doing over the last decade. 
For 20 years, Latvia has been a valued and reliable NATO Ally. 
You host a Canadian-led battlegroup, strengthening our deterrence and defence.

You contribute to our peacekeeping mission in Kosovo, and our capacity building mission in Iraq.

And on defence spending, Latvia leads by example, 
Spending over 2% of GDP on defence,
And with a pledge to increase that figure to 3% by 2027.
 
Latvia also provides robust military support to Ukraine.
You provide extensive military training to Ukrainian soldiers.
You lead a coalition that works with industry to supply drones.
And you contribute to the Czech-led initiative to provide more artillery shells.

When NATO leaders meet in Washington in July, Allies will take important steps on three issues. 
First, Allies will agree to step up our support to Ukraine for the long haul.
I expect that NATO will take the lead in coordinating the provision of equipment and training. 
And that Allies will make a financial commitment to support Ukraine for as long as it takes. 
 
Second, we will address our deterrence and defence.
Allies are stepping up our efforts on defence spending.
And I expect around two-thirds of Allies to invest at least 2% of GDP in defence this year. 

Since 2014, NATO has implemented the largest reinforcement of our collective defence in a generation. 
We have put in place the most comprehensive defence plans since the Cold War.
We have more troops at higher readiness, backed by substantial naval and air power. 
 
We are also stepping up defence production,
And ensuring that Allies are investing more together.
This reduces costs and increases interoperability.  

So let there be no doubt as to our ability to deter our adversaries and defend our Allies. 

NATO has the forces, resources, capabilities and the political will to defend every Ally.  

 
Finally, we will work on further boosting our partnerships around the globe.
As we have seen in Ukraine, security is not regional, it is global.
So it is essential that we work with our partners on our shared security concerns.

So, President, dear Edgars,
Thank you once again for your hospitality.
I look forward to our discussions at the B9 Summit.

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Moderator: Now we have time for a couple of questions. Please also introduce yourself.

Andrejs Leškevičs [Current Time Baltics (Radio Free Europe)]: Question for Mr. Stoltenberg. So lately, we hear more and more talks about Russia possibly attacking one of the NATO countries and perhaps even more than right after the beginning of the war two years ago. And Norwegian General Eirik Kristoffersen recently warned about this in media. What can you tell, what can you recommend to Baltic residents about this? How should they act in their everyday life? What should they be prepared for and what NATO is doing to ensure that the region is safe and ready for possible attack? Thank you.

Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg: NATO is ready to protect all Allies and over the last years we have implemented the largest reinforcements of our collective defence in a generation with higher readiness of our troops, with combat troops in the eastern part of the Alliance, battle groups here in Latvia and in other countries in eastern part of the Alliance. So, let there be no doubt, NATO is there to defend and protect all Allies.
And this is the way to prevent an attack. Credible deterrence, strong collective defence is something which is important for NATO, not because we want to provoke a conflict, but because we want to prevent a conflict, we want to prevent an armed attack on a NATO Ally and NATO’s core and main task is to preserve peace by delivering credible deterrence at any stage.
Article Five is a legal obligation for Allies to assist in the event of an armed attack. There is no requirement for any unanimous decision. It is also important to remember that we have plans in place and forces available and let there be no doubt, NATO is prepared and ready to defend all Allies. Over the last years, we have implemented the biggest reinforcement of our collective defence just to ensure that we are able to do exactly that.

Journalist [inaudible]: Mr Stoltenberg with your time in office coming to an end and the Washington Summit also approaching in important time for us all in Europe, what are some of the things you still wish to accomplish while in office, what are your priorities? Thank you.

Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg: So first of all, my focus now is to ensure that we have a successful Summit in Washington in July, where we have to make important decisions on deterrence and defence, on support for Ukraine, and also on how to strengthen partnerships with our Indo-Pacific partners to also address the challenges that China poses to our security. The most urgent task is of course to ensure that we provide the support to Ukraine for as long as it takes, and therefore I expect NATO Allies to agree to have NATO in the lead in providing security assistance, training for Ukraine, and also to agree a long term financial commitment to Ukraine, because NATO Allies are providing 99% of the military support to Ukraine already, and therefore, I think it makes sense to have NATO in the stronger coordinating role. Also, to prevent the gaps and delays we saw during the winter.
Ukraine needs predictable, stable flow of military support, also to communicate clearly to Moscow that they cannot wait us out. We will be there for as long as it takes. And by communicating a long-term commitment to Ukraine, we actually make it easier to end this war soon. Because the more obvious it is for President Putin that he cannot wait us out, the earlier he may end up with the conclusion that he has to sit down and accept that Ukraine continues as a sovereign independent nation.

Thank you.