Joint press conference

Prime Minister Kallas,
Dear Kaja,
Welcome back to NATO Headquarters.
It’s great to see you again.
And thank you for your strong, personal commitment to our transatlantic Alliance and your leadership.

Estonia leads by example, by investing more than 3% of GDP on defence and also by providing unprecedented support to Ukraine and you have committed to continue the support.
And you also lead on the issue of innovation and cyber including with the NATO Cyber Defence Centre of Excellence in Tallinn.

So Estonia is contributing to our shared security, to our collective defence in many different ways.
And therefore, Estonia is a highly valued NATO Ally.

Then, of course, NATO supports Estonia also in many different ways, with a multinational battlegroup in Tapa, led by the United Kingdom, helping to deter any aggression against Estonia.

NATO fighter jets patrol the skies over Estonia and Spain will soon deploy air defence battery, a NASAM battery to your country to strengthen your air defences.
Then I would also like to add that the fact that we are now investing more across the whole Alliance also make NATO stronger to reinforce Estonia if needed.

We have several hundred thousand troops on high readiness.
And we also have Finland and Sweden as members and of course with Finland and Sweden as members of NATO that has strengthened NATO, it has also made it much more easier to move equipment and forces into the Baltic region if needed.

Today in our meeting, we discussed the final preparations for the NATO Summit in Washington, which will take place in just two weeks’ time.
The main issue there will be our support for Ukraine.
President Putin believes that he can wait us out.
It is important that we demonstrate that that's not the case, that we are ready to stand by Ukraine for the long haul and therefore, I expect NATO leaders to agree that NATO will lead the coordination of security assistance and training for Ukraine with a new NATO command in Wiesbaden to coordinate training and the provision of security assistance to Ukraine.
And also that Allied leaders will agree a long term pledge of support to Ukraine.
This will provide Ukraine with greater predictability for the long haul.
I also expect leaders to send a clear message on Ukraine's path towards NATO membership.

We will of course also address our own deterrence and defence.
We have agreed new, more ambitious defence plans.
Allies are delivering more forces, high readiness, investing in high end capabilities and this year, 23 Allies are going to invest more than 2% of GDP on defence, which is great progress compared to where we were just a few years ago.

We will also address our global partners, especially our Indo Pacific partners and the European Union. The war in Ukraine demonstrates that our security is not regional, it is global, because we see how Iran, North Korea are providing weapons, drones, ammunition to Russia to enable them to conduct the war of aggression against Ukraine.
But we also see how China is propping up the Russian war economy enabling Russia to support –to conduct a war of aggression against Ukraine.
So therefore, it is important that we meet with our Asia Pacific partners as we will do at the Summit in Washington.

So once again, Prime Minister Kallas, it's great to have you here.
It's great to see how Estonia is really stepping up and investing heavily and doing more for NATO and your strong personal commitment to NATO.

So please, you have the floor.

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NATO Deputy Spokesperson: We'll go to questions, starting with DPA in the third row in front of me here please.

Ansgar Haas, DPA: Ansgar Haas, German Press Agency, DPA. Prime Minister together with your colleagues from Poland and the other Baltic countries you are asking for EU money to build a defence infrastructure system to protect the EU external border to Russia and Belarus. Can you tell us a little bit more on this? How much money do you need for this? What kind of infrastructure do you want to build? And a question to the Secretary General. Do you support this project? Or would it be better to do it via NATO? Thank you.

Prime Minister Kaja Kallas: Yes, we sent this letter together with the Baltic and Polish Prime Ministers to have a focus on this defence infrastructure as well. This is clear that we have the external borders with Russia and Belarus so this defence infrastructure needs to be built. And this is not the only funding question, but it's also a political issue. Do we see that the threat comes from there and this defence initiative also needs to foresee the protection of our people for the years to come. So of course, everything needs funding. We haven't spelled out the number exactly. It depends what we can do with this and if others will follow as well, because we understand in European Union, everybody has their worries. We have other external borders where there's a strong migratory pressure, for example, but you know, in order to protect and defend also Europe, we need the defence infrastructure and that needs political decisions, but also needs funding. That is true.

NATO Secretary General: NATO is the bedrock of European security. NATO is present in all those countries with battlegroups, with NATO forces, and NATO has for decades invested in critical military infrastructure through our common funded investment programs. But most importantly, NATO agrees defence plans and NATO sets capabilities targets for each and every Ally. We have just now agreed more ambitious defence plans. And also, part of that is more infrastructure because we need more infrastructure to move more forces to ensure that we have the storage facilities, the airports, the different types of infrastructure, so we need to deliver on the agreed defence plans and agreed capability targets agreed by NATO Heads of State and Government and Ministers since we had the Vilnius Summit. What matters for NATO is that all Allies delivers on these capability targets, that they invest in the infrastructure we have agreed that they should provide. How they fund that, doesn’t matter for NATO. So, whether they fund it from their national budget or from EU budgets, that's not a NATO issue. I understand that's important for them as individual NATO Allies, but the only thing that matters for NATO is that Estonia and all other countries in NATO deliver on what we have agreed for their defence plans, the infrastructure, their capabilities, their readiness, and all the other things we have agreed to enable us to meet the level of ambition on collective defence and deterrence. How they're funded is for Allies to decide. If they are able to find EU money, that's fine, if they have to go to for national money, that's also fine. That’s not for NATO.

NATO Deputy Spokesperson:  Estonian Public Broadcaster in the fourth row place.

Joakim Klementi, Estonian Public Broadcasting: Estonian Public Broadcasting, Joakim Klementi. Madam Prime Minister should NATO set a goal of either 2.5% or 3% GDP for all Allies, is this what's necessary? And is Mark Rutte the right person to lead these negotiations? The Dutch are famously economical in the EU, they're not in favour of euro bonds for defence, for example, is Mark Rutte the right person to do this. And for the Secretary General, how important is the personal touch of the Secretary General in this? And will NATO be different under the helm of Mark Rutte? Thank you.

Prime Minister Kaja Kallas: Yes, first. We have the defence investment pledge of 2% and 23 Allies are fulfilling this defence investment pledge. Of course, we see that the security reality is different. We have to spend more. And we would like to see this spending get, or this target to be at least 2.5%, because in 1988 all of the Allies were spending more than 2 actually, some even 6% on defence because the threat was real. There was Cold War going on. Now we have a hot war in Europe and we are not spending enough. But it is positive that this spending is increasing. I was yesterday in Luxembourg, and even they are increasing their defence spending although they have much better neighbours than we do. So, the strength of NATO comes from all the Allies and their input to NATO, to their own military. What is actually interesting or it's important to understand and I think this is now more and more going through to the public as well, that we don't have to talk about the national defence like, you know, you're talking about defence of Luxembourg. No, we are talking about regional defence, which is the defence of Europe, which means that your inputs, investments to defence is for the whole region and I think this understanding is fundamental. What comes to Mark Rutte, then, the Allies just decided that he will be the right person to lead NATO. And I'm confident that he is able to do that, I've seen him around the European Council table. So definitely he's going to bring something new to the table. So, we are of course very grateful for Jens, we have had very similar views on everything and we hope that it is the same with Mark. Thank you.

NATO Secretary General: First, just very briefly on the 3 or 2%. I think is important to note the decision we made at the Summit in Vilnius, because the previous NATO decision was from 2014. There we agreed that we should strive towards, to move towards 2% of GDP for defence spending. In Vilnius at the last Summit, we agreed that 2% should be the minimum. And we also agreed more ambitious defence plans that will then require more ambitious capability targets. And what we ask Allies to deliver is both on the spending, but as important we also ask them to deliver the capabilities to fulfil the defence plans. And we have specific capabilities for each and every Ally. And for most Allies, it will require more than 2% to deliver on those capability targets. So minimum means minimum. So, for many Allies, this will mean 3% and that is something which is more than 2%. Then I warmly welcome that NATO Allies have decided that Mark Rutte will be my successor. I know Mark Rutte for many years. We have worked together as Prime Ministers, we have worked together in my capacity as Secretary General of NATO. And Mark Rutte is a strong supporter of the transatlantic bond, North America and Europe. He knows NATO very well, and he is very skilled and experienced consensus builder, which is perhaps the most important task of any NATO Secretary General, is to build consensus among 32 Allies. So, I wish him every success as we continue to strengthen NATO. And I know that NATO will be in safe hands with Mark Rutte as Secretary General. Then until the first of October, I will focus on doing my task as Secretary General and there will be a Summit in a couple of weeks’ time which will require all my intention and then I look forward to hand over the responsibility to Mark Rutte in October.

NATO Deputy Spokesperson: We’ve time for one or two more. We'll go to AFP in the second row here please.

Max Delaney, AFP: Thank you very much. Max Delaney, AFP, a couple of questions for the Prime Minister. First issue talking of people getting new jobs. Is it a done deal for you to become the High Representative of the EU? And why do you think you're the right person for that job? And then on Ukraine at the NATO Summit, you spoke very forcibly –forcefully about NATO needing to do everything it can to give a strong package for Ukraine, at the moment it's a non-binding commitment on future funding, and no progress towards membership. Do you think NATO risks disappointing Ukraine again at Washington? Thanks a lot.

Prime Minister Kaja Kallas: I will start from the second question. So Ukraine I think all the things that we are doing for Ukraine, I mean, the different agreements, different military support. I mean, the F-16 coalitions, different things, training their soldiers. This is actually in substance, taking Ukraine towards NATO. So very often, we concentrate on the words very, very strictly on the words but let's look at the whole picture. And there I think you know, we are moving towards a NATO membership even if we are not putting some additional words to the agreements that we already have. So what comes to the jobs then? Well, let's not run ahead of decisions in politics. You know, surprises happen, so never know. And we have a saying in Estonian, that don't go and share the bear skin before the bear has been shot. So I will not do that.

NATO Deputy Spokesperson: Final question. To Postimees, in the fourth row here, please.

Unknown Journalist, Postimees: [inaudible] Postimees, I wanted to ask about the upcoming Summit as well. Many of the things will probably be agreed about by the Ambassadors and other officials working here. What issues would still require substantial discussion by the leaders in Washington?

NATO Secretary General: I think we need to understand how NATO works. The fact that we have a Summit, creates the momentum, creates the political will in all the capitals to find consensus to enable us to make decisions. So you’re right that most of the issues will be hopefully agreed, at least before we arrive in Washington. Sometimes there are some issues that need to be finally negotiated with the leaders in the room, but it's during the Summit. But the fact that they meet, the fact that we have the Summit is what enables to make these decisions. And I expect them to have full agreement on the NATO command for Ukraine, which will be important because it will create a more robust, more sustainable framework for our support. I expect that we will have an ambitious pledge for long term support for Ukraine. And I'm confident that we’ll also find language expressing progress when it comes to NATO membership. And all of this will hopefully be, I say, not 100% agreed but at least very close to agreement before we arrive in Washington, then in Washington we’ll also make decisions on deterrence and defence and ensure that we are delivering on the capabilities we have agreed as part of the new defence plans.

NATO Deputy Spokesperson: That's all we have time for, thank you very much.