​​​​​​​Press conference

Good to see you all again, and good afternoon.

We have just concluded our informal meeting of NATO Foreign Ministers.

And again, I want to thank Minister Fidan and the Turkish authorities for their excellent hospitality here in Antalya.

This meeting allowed us to dive into some of the key issues we will need to address at our Summit in the Hague just six weeks from now.

Our main focus was on boosting defence spending. This is the core deliverable for the Summit. And will be a key area for the Alliance in the years to come.

Increased defence spending is essential to our security.

It is needed to meet the capability targets that Allies will soon agree and to ensure that the Alliance is ready to face any threats and challenges. It will also help to ensure fairer burden-sharing among Allies.

And we are on the right track.

Most Allies are now set to reach the initial aim of spending 2% of GDP on defence this year. And many have already announced plans to go much, much further.

And this is crucial. Because it is clear that 2% is not nearly enough. Our discussions here in Antalya focused on what more we will need for the future.

We know we will need greater investment in our core military requirements as well as additional broader defence related investments, including infrastructure and including resilience.

I look forward to continuing to work closely with Allies in the coming weeks as we prepare formal decisions for the Summit in the Hague.

We also discussed the importance of strengthening our defence industries. This is necessary to ensure we have the capabilities we need – so that we can continue delivering on our core task to defend one billion citizens.

We are committed to ensuring that we are doing all we can to increase production, foster innovation, and remove barriers to cooperation.

We all stand to gain from this – not only in security terms but also economically.

And finally, we discussed Russia’s ongoing war against Ukraine. 

We reiterated our full support to President Trump’s urgent efforts to bring the war to a just and lasting end as soon as possible.

This is a priority that we all share.

We reaffirmed our long-term support for Ukraine.

This is not about fuelling the war. It is about ensuring that Ukraine can defend itself today and into the future.

And with or without a settlement, it is clear that our support to Ukraine will continue to be important to ensure a lasting peace.

All of this – increased investment in defence, enhanced defence industrial capacity, and continued support to Ukraine – will help safeguard stability across our Euro-Atlantic area.

And with that, I look forward to take your questions. 
 

Allison Hart, Acting NATO Spokesperson 
All right, we'll start with the front row all the way on my right.

Sabine Siebold (Reuters) 
Thank you. SecGen, do you see the incident in the Baltic Sea off the Estonian coast, which involved a Russian fighter jet as an escalation? And what does NATO intend to do about this? And how will the Alliance react to it?

Mark Rutte, NATO Secretary General 
Yes, because of these developments, and we have seen more of these over the last six to 12 months. Of course, we have the Baltic Air Policing mission. We have Baltic Sentry, which is working particularly at protecting our undersea critical infrastructure. NATO and Estonia are in close contact on this and coordinating absolutely on making sure we know exactly what is happening. But again, this is why we are active in this region. Collectively, of course, Estonia and the other nations on the Baltic Sea, but also as NATO collectively, making sure we keep this part of NATO territory safe.

Acting NATO Spokesperson 
All right, we'll go to the woman in blue in the centre.

Question (CNN TÜRK) 
I want to ask a question regarding Türkiye. In such a turbulent and unpredictable period, it's crucial for Türkiye to strengthen its defence as it protects the south eastern flank of the Alliance. And while Türkiye is in talks with European countries to purchase Eurofighters, it also engaging with the United States on issues such as acquiring F-35’s, also potentially re-joining the F-35 programme and the lifting of CAATSA sanctions. So as NATO Secretary General, how do you encourage the parties involved not to place obstacles in Türkiye's way? Thank you.

NATO Secretary General 
NATO encourages its Allies not to have limitations on arms sales from one Ally to another. And when it comes, for example, to the Eurofighter, you have seen this coming up in the meeting I had with Chancellor Merz last Friday, because he referred to that in the presser we had after this at NATO Headquarters in Brussels. And obviously it is for the German government to decide on next steps, but I thought there was an opening there, and we'll see how this will be taken further. And this will probably lead to more discussions within the German government.

Acting NATO Spokesperson 
All right, on the centre aisle, gentlemen in the fourth row.

Thomas Gutschker (FAZ) 
Secretary General, a question on the next, I think it's now called Hague investment pledge.

NATO Secretary General 
The Hague investment plan, because it has to be real and a pledge sounds a bit vague.

Thomas Gutschker (FAZ) 
All right. My question is, how to actually get to the target on which Allies will agree in The Hague. In your view, does it need to be underpinned by a clear and credible path for each member state? Which would then also mean that NATO would review progress annually and report back where member states are, which is the procedure where we are now. But that was not how, for instances, it started with the Wales investment pledge from 2014 where no path was set. So what is your view on this?

NATO Secretary General 
As you are from Germany, let me start by saying that Germany is really taking the lead here, also today. And it's clear that the German government has committed to spend much more on defence and really wants, also when it comes to this debate, how collectively, as NATO, we will be able to face all our threats and challenges, that Germany is clearly taking the lead on this. And I'm very happy about this, because it is the biggest economy in Europe, and the second biggest economy in NATO, after United States. Of course, these discussions are still ongoing, but my assumption is, and I'm quite confident, that in The Hague, we will commit to an ambitious spending target. It might be a target on the core defence spending, but also a clear commitment on defence related investments. And obviously, just seeing that we will have to get there in a couple of years, and then doing nothing, is not helpful. So there has to be a credible path to get to that target, but you cannot get to in one year. That's impossible, because we know there is an issue of absorption capacity. You need to order the defence industrial output from our defence industrial industries. You need to hire the necessary people to fill all the vacancies within the military. That will take some time. So there is an absorption capacity issue here, which we have to take into account. But we have to have a credible path together, absolutely. And again, through you, thank you to the German government for clearly taking lead on this.

Acting NATO Spokesperson 
All right, we'll go just in front of him in the third row.

Max Delany (AFP) 
Just to follow up on the new target, the new plan. By now expanding it to include defence related spending as well, aren't you just doing a sort of a budgetary sleight of hand to allow countries to convince President Trump that they're reaching the target he wants? And aren't you just playing smoke and mirrors with the figures to try and pad them out?

NATO Secretary General 
What we are doing is first of all to make sure that we have the money necessary to fill all the capability gaps we have at the moment. We will agree at the Defence Ministers' Meeting our capability targets for the coming years, and we know already that with the 2% we can never fill all those gaps. We have to spend much, much more, as I've said consistently since October, November last year. So that's number one, and that has to do with the core defence spending. But we also know that when it comes to defence spending, we have to make sure that we have all the enablers in place. Everything related to defence spending in place. As I said this morning at the doorstep, sometimes when you cross a bridge in Europe, you hope, with your own car, that you safely cross it, get across it, but let alone with a tank. So this whole issue of military mobility, how can we make sure that we are able to move our land forces from one place to another. But also when it comes to resilience, when it comes to support for partner countries, and so many other issues and areas, we have to make sure that we not only concentrate on the core defence spending, but also making sure that we do these defence related investments. I know there are many rumours about numbers out there. I respect, of course, what you think you have found out so far. That's your job. But I'm not commenting on the concrete numbers, but I do acknowledge that there is a discussion on core defence spending and a discussion on defence related investments.

Acting NATO Spokesperson
All right, gentlemen in the front row in the purple tie.

Question (TRT News)
[inaudible] NATO countries have shown increasing interest in Turkish products. Just yesterday, an agreement was signed with Spain for the production of Hürjet aircraft. And Türkiye's effective defence production has gained even more prominence with the Russia-Ukraine war. In this context, how do you assess Türkiye's role on defence industry?

NATO Secretary General
Thank you. It's very important, because Türkiye has an impressive defence industrial base. It is already working in close conjunction with industries and countries all over Europe and the United States. And as I said before, there is this problem we are facing when it comes to deterrence and defence. There is an issue around spending, yes, but there's also an issue around, are you able to credibly produce the defence industrial output you need to keep ourselves and all of us, over 1 billion people living in NATO territory, safe?
And Russia, in some calculations, is producing in three months, in terms of ammunition, what the whole of NATO is producing in a year. And Russia has only 5% the size of the overall NATO economy. So that's not sustainable. And that's why I'm very much pleading with Allies not to have barriers between countries and between European nations within the EU or outside the EU, and Canada and the US. We all have to work together on this. And the good thing for industry is that industry now will know the capabilities we need and the gaps we still have. That will inform them, and including the Turkish defence industrial companies, to produce what is needed. And they know that the money is there, because almost all Allies, hopefully all Allies, will be at 2% before the summit. Beginning this year, we still had eight [Allies] not on 2% but now we are getting in all the messages, last Monday from Luxembourg, last Friday from Slovenia, earlier from Spain, from Belgium, from Italy, from others, that they are committing to the 2%. And you also know that in The Hague we will decide about a much more ambitious target going forward. So the money is there, they know what to invest in, and that will help the defence industrial base to do what is necessary. And we need that, because deterrence and defence is not only about money, but also about having a credible defence industrial base able to defend ourselves going forward.

Acting NATO Spokesperson
In the very centre, gentlemen in the light grey jacket.

Niels Goedegebuur (ANP)
Mr Secretary General, would you like to see the upcoming Summit Communiqué clearly stating that Russia is the most important threat for all the allies, the entire Alliance? And do you expect this to happen?

NATO Secretary General
Well, clearly in the Strategic Concept and in the Washington Declaration and in every press conference I am giving, we repeat that Russia is the long-term threat. We repeat that China is rapidly building up its armed forces, which is, of course, a big concern. They will have a thousand nuclear warheads by the end of the decade. And we repeat that terrorism is also one of the areas NATO is focusing on, because [fighting] terrorism is a core task for NATO. And we are here in Türkiye, this country has been hit by terrorism, but also other countries in NATO have had their share of terrorist attacks over the last decades. And so all these threats are there. I will keep on repeating them based on the language we have agreed. And I expect for the NATO Summit in The Hague to really focus very much on defence industrial production, focus on the defence industrial plan so to make sure the money is there, that the products are there, focus on Ukraine. And then what exactly will be the format of the conclusions, of the communique, we'll see what is the best way to play that.

Acting NATO Spokesperson
And then, just in front of him, the woman in the beige jacket,

Mizuho Morioka (Asahi Shimbun)
According to some report, NATO has decided to invite IP4 for leaders to the summit. And what kind of discussion do you expect in The Hague with this region?

NATO Secretary General
There are no announcements at this moment about invitees, invites, other than the 32. So as soon as that is ready, to make those announcements, we will make them.
But more generally speaking, when it comes to the partners in Indo-Pacific, that is a very important relationship for NATO. So I'm now not commenting on yes or no, them being at a NATO summit. But this is an important relationship, one of the reasons I was in Japan a couple of weeks ago to have discussions with the Foreign Minister, the Defence Minister and a very pleasant and successful dinner with the Prime Minister. Because there is a close cooperation between NATO and South Korea and Japan, Australia and New Zealand. We share our insights of what is happening. There is a strong defence industrial base which is further being developed in all those countries. And we can work together on innovation and getting things out there. And particularly now with the Chinese built up, it is more and more important that we have that close coordination. Particularly, because it is increasingly difficult to say that the Euro-Atlantic area and the Indo-Pacific area are totally separate. They are not. They are clearly interconnected.

Acting NATO Spokesperson
All right, we have time for one or two more questions. I'll come to this side of the room, the woman in the second row on the aisle,

Maria Ortega (TRT Spanish)
Türkiye, is hosting two big meetings today here in NATO, and as we all have our eyes also in Istanbul. So two questions. What does this say about the role of Türkiye in the Alliance? And there are any efforts among the other countries in the Alliance to ramp up these efforts of bringing peace to the region and other parts that it's so much needed?

NATO Secretary General
Clearly, Türkiye is playing an important role here, and basically the events you are mentioning are evidence of this. And also the meeting we have here with the Foreign Ministers, which has been very well organized by the Foreign Minister and his team, and we really want to thank him for that. And the convening power of Türkiye is clearly there. We can see it every day, and I think that is important. That does not mean that other countries are not also involved. We have, of course, the Coalition of the Willing in which Türkiye is participating, which originally was brought together by the French and the Brits, but which is now much bigger. And we have other initiatives to make sure that whenever a ceasefire or a peace deal is done on Ukraine, that it is lasting, that it is durable, that we won't have no repeat of what happened in 2014-15, with the Minsk Agreement, which was basically challenged, when the ink was not was not dry, by which this agreement was written. So we cannot have a repeat of that. It has to be lasting. It has to be durable.
And then to this week, the ball now is clearly in Russia's court. The Russians are sending a low-level delegation now and not taking up the opportunity President Zelenskyy has been providing. He said, ‘I'm willing to sit with Putin. As soon as the ceasefire is there, we are willing to negotiate a peace deal.’ So Ukraine is clearly ready to play a ball, but that ball is now in the Russian court. And I'm really thankful for the fact that the United States is laser focused. The President and his whole foreign policy team including Marco Rubio on bring peace to Ukraine.