Joint press conference

by NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte with the President of Finland, Alexander Stubb

  • 08 Oct. 2024 -
  • |
  • Last updated: 08 Oct. 2024 18:40

(As delivered)

President Stubb, dear Alex,

It’s great to welcome you here at NATO Headquarters.

And you are the first Allied leader I have the honour to welcome here as NATO Secretary General.

It’s further proof of Finland's seamless integration into the NATO family.

Since Finland became a NATO Ally eighteen months ago, the Alliance has become stronger and Finland has become safer.

Finland has highly-capable military forces and cutting-edge capabilities.

You are investing more than 2% of GDP in defence.

I welcome that you will host a new NATO battlegroup, to deter any aggression.

And a new headquarters to lead NATO land operations in the region.

All these efforts enhance our defences along the eastern flank and in the High North.

 

Today, we discussed further strengthening our deterrence and defence.

Over the past decade, NATO has carried out the biggest reinforcement of our collective defence in a generation.

With more forces, and at higher readiness.

We both agree that NATO must go further and faster.

We need more, better equipped forces;

A more robust transatlantic defence industry;

Increased defence production capacity;

Greater investment in innovation; and

Secure supply chains.

Allies are already stepping up, with plans to acquire thousands of air defence and artillery systems;

Many hundreds of modern aircraft, mostly 5th generation F-35s;

As well as substantial high-end capabilities.

But to do more, we must spend more.

To reach our capability targets, 2% clearly will not be enough.

 

We also addressed Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine, where I made my first ever visit as Secretary General just last week. 

NATO must and will do more to help Ukraine. 

Russia continues to carry out massive strikes against Ukraine’s critical energy infrastructure.

Ukraine could be facing its toughest winter since the full-scale invasion began,

I pay tribute to the resilience and the bravery of the Ukrainian people and their armed forces.

NATO Allies are providing almost all military support to Ukraine.

This is vital for Ukraine’s stability and ability to stay in the fight.

And I will be at Ramstein, together with Alex Stubb, at the table at Ukraine Defence Contact Group to press for more aid.

I welcome Finland's continuous support to Ukraine.

You have delivered a significant amount of support. Over 2 billion euros in military aid.

What Finland is doing helps save lives.

And the more military support we give, the faster this war will end.

 

President Stubb and I also discussed Russia’s ongoing campaign of malign activities on Allied territory.

And in this regard, I welcome the European Union’s new sanctions regime targeting hybrid threats.

In an unpredictable world we stand together to defend our shared values and democratic systems.

Dear Alex,

Thank you for your steadfast commitment to our transatlantic Alliance.

I look forward to continuing to work together. 

NATO Spokesperson Farah Dakhlallah
I'm afraid we only have 10 minutes for questions. We will start with Finnish News Agency.

Hannele Muilu (YLE)
Hannele Muilu from YLE Broadcasting Company. When would NATO membership for Ukraine be possible? And could Ukraine join NATO, even if part of the country is occupied?

Secretary General Mark Rutte
Well, clearly we have seen in the Washington Summit that there is this path towards NATO membership which is irreversible. And I said in Kyiv last week that I want to make it clear to the Russians that they do not have a vote on this, and they do not have a veto on this. No vote and no veto from Moscow.

In the end, obviously, it is to the 32 of all of us to decide on exactly what the next steps will be, and obviously also take into account what is happening more generally.

But I don't want to speculate at this stage. But obviously this is an irreversible path. It has been made clear, and it's also clear for Ukrainians that this is their future,

NATO Spokesperson
Thank you. We'll go to the gentleman in the fourth row.

Jarno Hartikainen (Helsingin Sanomat)
Thank you, Jarno Hartikainen from Helsingin Sanomat. Question primarily to Secretary General. Last weekend, the former Secretary General, Stoltenberg said in a media interview that divided Germany could work as a sort of a template for peace in Ukraine. I'd like to ask, is this now a model that NATO is actively recommending to Ukraine? And how broad is the support for this model, this idea among the member states? Thank you.

NATO Secretary General
I would like to take one step back. And that is that ultimately, it's up to Ukraine to decide what are acceptable conditions for a negotiated solution. And also what are the conditions for engaging in talks with Russia; it’s up to Ukraine, up to Volodymyr Zelenskyy, to decide that.

And what we need to do is to focus on what NATO can do. What NATO can do is help to strengthen Ukraine's hands by providing enough military support. That's why I'm so happy that next Saturday we will participate in the Ramstein meeting. And I think it is an excellent initiative by the American president to get us together at a leader's level in Ramstein next Saturday.

And why is it so important that we do more to strengthen Ukraine's hands? Because it is the only way to a negotiated agreement. I believe it's the only way at the end of the road and to convince Putin that he will not win on the battlefield. And that is a paradox: that to come to a negotiated agreement, we have to make sure that Ukraine is strong.

And security guarantees, very good that they are there. And I'm so happy that Finland and many other Allies and also other countries have come to security agreements with Ukraine. They will likely have to underpin any peace deal. I think that is also clear.

NATO Spokesperson
Okay, thank you. We'll go to Deutsche Welle. Teri.

Teri Schultz (Deutsche Welle)
Hi. Teri Schultz. Nice to see you both, and to both of you. Secretary General Rutte, what to do about incursions is a big issue on your table right to start with, how important do you think it is to come up with a NATO wide policy, admitting that each country has the sovereign right to decide what to do about drone incursions or aircraft? And President Stubb, the Polish Foreign Minister, for example, says that NATO countries have the duty, if not, the right, if not the duty, to shoot down anything that enters any Russian drone or aircraft that enters their airspace. How does Finland feel about this? What would you do?

NATO Secretary General
On your first question. We are between Allies, of course, consulting very closely how to react and respond, and it is a worrying development. Unacceptable. Indeed, it is up to each member state to work on this, but clearly there's also a rule for NATO to make sure that we are informed, that we are updated, and all of us know exactly what is happening and whether it is intentional, or because there is so much going on with the battlefield that it might sometimes also be not intentional, and to have exactly that information. That's what we are doing, and we'll take it from there. Step by step, making sure that we defend our territory.

NATO Spokesperson
Okay, we'll go to Reuters. Second row.

Andrew Gray (Reuters)
Thank you. Andrew Gray from Reuters, a question to both of you. The Russian forces have recently reached the edge of the frontline city of Toretsk, and it feels like the direction of travel in eastern Ukraine is all in one direction. It's Russia making gradual gains, albeit at a heavy cost. Do you believe there is anything that NATO can do that it's not doing already that can reverse that trend? And if so, what?

NATO Secretary General
Obviously, what we need to do is to make sure, with all the Allies and all the others involved, that enough military gear is getting into Ukraine to support Ukraine in the war effort, and therefore Ramstein, I think, in total, 50 countries participating next Saturday, is an extremely important meeting. You are right, the situation on the battlefield remains difficult. Of course, we see on the one hand that Ukraine's army is holding on to part of the Kursk region in Russia, but at the same time that, as you said, the Russians are making slow but still advances in the East. And we have to also take into account that the Russian losses are huge. They now stand at about, as far as we know, 1000 killed and wounded each day, and that is on top of a total of 500,000 already killed or wounded. So, this is coming at a considerable cost on the Russian side. And what I have seen over the years, since the end of February 2022 is that the Ukrainians show again and again that with their courage and with their creativity, they can push back to Russian forces. They have done so, and they will do so in the future, but they need our continued support, that's absolutely clear, and they need it now. And again, therefore, the Ramstein meeting is absolutely timely, and I'm so happy that the American president took this initiative.