Doorstep statement

Good morning, good to see you all. Just a quick doorstep before we start with today's meetings. 

Clearly, a lot happened yesterday in the meeting, but also in the media, and no doubt that will be debated today and over the coming days and weeks. But there's also a clear convergence emerging. 

We all want peace in Ukraine rather sooner than later. We all want Ukraine to be in the best possible position when those talks start, to make sure that they can be concluded successfully. And as also Pete Hegseth said yesterday, the new American Secretary of Defence, it is crucial that whatever comes out of those talks, it is durable. It is enduring. No Minsk three, we cannot have that again. We cannot have Putin again trying to capture a square kilometer, a square mile of Ukraine in the future. 

Then, of course, we’ll also discuss today's spending. We have to spend more, not only because the US expects that, because they expect Europe to take its and pay its fair share, but also we have to spend more because we know the threat coming from Russia and from other adversaries is increasing, and that will be debated today. And here, I think there is a clear expectation from the side of the US, but also clear commitment yesterday that this Alliance is here to stay for the generations to come. 

And we will discuss today the defence industrial base, how to produce more. We are not producing enough. And this is a collective problem we have, from the US up to and including Türkiye, and including the whole European Union, Norway, UK, we have fantastic defence industries, but we are not producing enough. We are producing in three months in ammunition. No, I wanted to say Russia is producing in three months in ammunition, what the whole of the Alliance is producing in the year, and this is simply not sustainable. We have to ramp up the defence industry production. 

So these issues will be on the table today in the Ministers of Defence Meeting, and then afterwards, also in the lunch we will have with Minister Umerov of Ukraine, where we discuss the relations between NATO and Ukraine. So thank you very much. 
Maybe a few questions.

Question:
Do you think that Secretary Hegseth’s rhetoric that we heard yesterday was in any way harmful to NATO, just the way he talked? 

NATO Secretary General Rutte:
Secretary Hegseth said, but also what later came out of Washington clearly were big announcements. And at the same time, this is how an Alliance should be governed. We are an Alliance of democracies, we need to debate. And also, I see a clear convergence, as I said, that we want peace, that the peace has to be enduring, that we have to make sure that Ukraine is in the best possible position, and for the Europeans to step up in defence spending and collectively, to step up the defence industrial production. So here, there is a clear convergence.

Question:
Things have changed here. What direction is this Alliance now going? 

NATO Secretary General Rutte:
This Alliance is a family, as Pete Hegseth said yesterday, and so many others. It is there for generations to come. We are there to make sure that we have the best possible deterrence in place to fight off any adversary now and in the future, but at least that we have to get to a good deal on Ukraine. We have to ramp up defence spending. We have to ramp up defence industrial production. These are clear tasks we collectively have. We will debate them. We might not always agree immediately, but as always, in the end, we come to common positions. 

Question:
You have said, your mantra has been, no decisions about Ukraine without Ukraine. Yet Yesterday we saw Donald Trump having a phone call with President Putin without Ukraine. He's going to meet President Putin without Ukraine. This looks to many like the beginning of the betrayal of Ukraine. 

NATO Secretary General Rutte:
What we have seen yesterday was the statements coming out of Washington, including, and you forget to mention that, his long phone call with President Zelenskyy. So we will see how this progresses is from now on, step by step. Of course, it's crucial that when we talk about Ukraine, that Ukraine is closely involved in everything happening about Ukraine.

Question:
Thanks for doing this. Do you consider President Trump's phone call with Putin the beginning of peace negotiations? 

NATO Secretary General Rutte:
It clearly gives that impression that it was a successful phone call. We all want peace in Ukraine. Obviously, we have to make sure that Ukraine is in the best possible position. It is crucial that when a peace deal is struck, that a peace deal is enduring, that Putin knows that this is the end that he can never again try to capture a piece of Ukraine. 
So that has to be part of those negotiations. And no doubt that is also on the minds of President Trump and the American team. And today, in the coming days and the coming week, obviously, we will closely coordinate between Allies.
Final question, and then we'll meet again at the post ministerial press conference. 

Question:
The best possible position for Ukraine, would it be even stronger and better, if things like the return of occupied territory and NATO membership would still be on the table. 

NATO Secretary General Rutte:
Well, what I've said before, I believe we have to make sure that we concentrate on the big issues. And the one big issue, number one, is to make sure that when talks start, that Ukraine is in a position, that Putin knows he has to come to the table, it is for him crucial to come to a deal on Ukraine. So Ukraine has to be in a strong position. 

And again, as I said before, it is crucial that when a deal is struck, that that deal will not unravel. We have seen in 2014 what happened with Minsk. We thought that deal was there to stay. It didn't. Putin simply continued, trying to grab pieces of Ukraine. And then in 2022 he started the full onslaught, late February 2022. We can never, ever have that again. So I'm absolutely pro peace. I'm pro peace talks, absolutely. But at the same time, we have to make sure that what comes out of those talks is there to stay, and that Ukraine then is safe. 

Thank you so much. We'll meet again later today.