Joint press conference

NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte

Dear Keir, it is great to see you again, and I'm delighted to welcome you here to NATO Headquarters.  Thank you.

The United Kingdom, as you know, has always been a staunch and essential Ally. You are one of the founders of our great Alliance. RAF pilots help secure Allied skies. The Royal Navy helps keep our sea safe, and the British Army contributes to our shared security. You are world leading in cyber and innovation, and you make an invaluable contribution to our nuclear deterrent. UK is also firm friends to Ukraine: you have provided billions in military and humanitarian aid, vital training and landmark security guarantees.

Going forward, we must not only sustain but continue to step up our support, so that when the time comes, Ukraine can sit at the negotiating table in a position of strength and pursue a good deal for lasting peace. Our world is increasingly more dangerous. We must be better equipped to meet any threat across all domains. Both now and in the future.

Russian destabilization campaigns in Allied countries are on the rise. They have targeted digital infrastructure, British officials and even your National Health Service. Just last month, once again, you detected a Russian spy ship in British waters, and you made it clear to Moscow that such brazen acts were simply unacceptable. To stop these attacks, once and for all, we need to up our game and make sure our deterrence leaves no room for doubt. We can do this by investing even more in defence.

To put it in another way, to prevent war, we must spend more. The UK understands this instinctively. You have long met the 2% target, and I welcome plans to further increase investments in defence, because in a more dangerous world, 2% will not be enough to keep us safe. We need to invest considerably more. We also need to replenish our stocks, and fast, there's no time to waste reviving our defence industries, to ramp up defence production, is an absolute must.

During World War II, factories in the UK and the US produced billions of rounds of ammunition. That was before digitization and automation. With all the might of British manufacturing, just imagine what we could achieve now.

The challenges we face are complex, but together in NATO, there's nothing we cannot do.

So thank you for your continued leadership and support of our transatlantic Alliance. Prime Minister, dear Keir, the floor is yours.

Q&A

Allison Hart, NATO Spokesperson:
Good afternoon. All right, Sky News, please.

Beth Rigby, Sky News
Beth Rigby, Sky News. Secretary General, NATO has stood united against Russia, with all Allies in lockstep since the invasion in 2022. Now two members, Canada and US, are on the cusp of a trade war. Do you fear the Alliance is unravelling at the most fragile of times? And Prime Minister, President Trump says tariffs on the EU are coming. He hasn't ruled out tariffs on the UK. Are you worried about that? And be it from forcing Ukraine to the negotiating table to threatening trade wars with Allies, isn't it the truth that President Trump is a bad thing for Europe's economic prosperity and security? Thank you very much.

Mark Rutte, NATO Secretary General 
To your first question, let me say that I'm absolutely convinced we can deal with these issues. And there are always issues between Allies. It is never always tranquil and happy going. There are always issues, sometimes bigger, sometimes smaller. But I'm absolutely convinced that will not get in the way of our collective determination to keep our deterrence strong. And when you talk trade, it is interesting to see that the [defence] trade surplus of the US getting into Europe is - since 2022 they sell more to Europe than we sell to them, and the net surplus is $180 billion since 2022. So, that tells you something, that there are more figures and numbers to look at, but going back to your question, I’m absolutely convinced, it will not have an impact on our collective deterrence.

Sir Keir Starmer, Prime Minister of the United Kingdom
[Responds]

Allison Hart, NATO Spokesperson:
All right, BBC, second row please.

Chris Mason, BBC News:
Thank you. Chris Mason, BBC News questions on a similar theme, if I may. Secretary General, what would you say to NATO members currently falling out with each other in public over tariffs? And what's your message to the United States and Denmark as they are feuding over territory. And Prime Minister, would you be willing to water down your reset with the European Union in order to keep President Trump on side? Thank you.

Mark Rutte, NATO Secretary General:
On tariffs, clearly that is not what NATO is about. So, maybe I shouldn't comment too much on that, other than saying that when you look at the defence industrial base, it’s very clear that the US is selling much more into Europe than Europe is selling to the US. And by the way, collectively, we have to produce much more. There is so much money floating around, and much more will come in, because we are spending more. Last year, non-US allies spent 18% more on defence than the year before. So, from 2023 to 2024, it was an 18% increase, almost 20%. So, we are spending much more. That means more money available for the defence industrial base, and we have to buy it from everywhere. The US has to ramp up, Norway has to ramp up, the UK has to ramp up. The EU, including the big countries like Italy and Spain, and Norway outside the EU, of course, but also, of course, France and then Türkiye. So, all these big defence industrial base countries have to ramp up defence production, and there's so much money floating around. And again, what we see clearly is this trade surplus from the US getting into Europe. So, there is much more to say to all these numbers than when you look at, the let's say, the aggregate. And on Greenland, I said before - what I think is very useful is that President Trump alerted us to the fact that when it comes to the High North, there is a geopolitical and strategic issue at stake. I would say that is not only about Greenland. This has to do with Finland. It has to do with Sweden, Norway, Iceland, yes, Greenland - and therefore Denmark - also Canada, and also the US. And clearly, collectively as an Alliance, we will always look at the best way to make sure that we can tackle those challenges.

Sir Keir Starmer, Prime Minister of the United Kingdom
[Responds]

Allison Hart, NATO Spokesperson:
We have time for one more question. ITV.

James Mates, ITV:
Secretary General, these are much more than issues between Allies. You have a NATO Ally threatening to seize territory from another NATO Ally. This is much worse than it's ever been, isn't it now time that Europe got realistic and started planning for a future of defence that may not include the United States? And Prime Minister, if I may. I know you want to keep a foot in both camps, and I know you don't want to commit here, but you're trying to reset with Europe at exactly the time that President Trump indicates he might be trying to divide and rule in Europe. If he does, and your European, other European leaders ask you, whose side you on - ours or theirs - what will you say to them?

Mark Rutte, NATO Secretary General:
On your question about NATO and the assumption that you could run NATO without the US, that is, for so many reasons, a silly thought but that means that you have European defence without the US being involved - that's what you're saying. That is a NATO, or whatever the organization is then called, without the US. For many reasons, that will not work. First of all, because we are not, as the Prime Minister was saying, as Keir Starmer was saying, when you look at Ukraine, it is not just Ukraine and Russia, which will be bad enough. It is a geopolitical thing which is going on. The US realizes that, the European side of NATO realizes that. It is China, North Korea, Iran, all getting connected to Russia. So, this is a geopolitical thing playing out at the moment with Ukraine. And therefore, Ukraine must prevail, not only for Ukraine's sake, first of all, but also because of the geopolitical impact. And for NATO as a whole, collectively, we are 20 times bigger than the Russian economy. Collectively, we are able to protect the collective NATO territory, including the US. And the US is also under threat now, with the long range nuclear missiles coming out of North Korea maybe in the future, thanks to all the technology the Russians are delivering. So, for so many reasons, we have to stay connected. I am a staunch transatlanticist. I absolutely believe that the best thing the West can do is to stay united, and I know that the same thinking is still prevalent in the US, including in the White House.

Sir Keir Starmer, Prime Minister of the United Kingdom
[Responds]