Opening remarks at the monthly press conference

Good afternoon.

Over the past few weeks, I have visited many of our Allies in Central and Eastern Europe. This year, they are marking significant anniversaries of their accession to NATO. Together, we have gone a long way towards our goal: a Europe whole, free and at peace.

But today it's clear that we cannot take what we have achieved for granted. Because Russia's aggression against Ukraine has posed a challenge to a fundamental principle: the right of sovereign states to choose their own path.  Russia has committed to this precept many times, but we see that President Putin now refuses to uphold this promise.   

On May 25th, Ukraine will hold presidential elections. This is an important opportunity to find a peaceful way forward for a united Ukraine. This is when people across the country, regardless of the language they speak, have the chance to make their free and democratic choice, in line with national law and international standards.  This is the vote that counts – for Ukraine and for the international community.

Any effort to delay or disrupt the elections would be an attempt to deny the Ukrainian people their choice. And a further step back for efforts to find a genuine political solution to the crisis.

We see a completely new security situation in Europe. It is less predictable and more dangerous.  For NATO, this has implications now and for the future. 

We have already taken immediate measures: more planes in the air, more ships at sea, and more exercises on the ground. We have deployed AWACS surveillance planes over Poland and Romania and we  have reinforced our air policing mission in the Baltic region. I have seen them in action, and they are doing a remarkable job. Allies have reinforced our naval presence from the Baltic to the Black Sea. And deployed troops to participate in training and exercises. 

Right now, around 6,000 troops from across NATO are taking part in exercise Steadfast Javelin in Estonia. This is a significant exercise, aiming to test our ability to repel an attack against an Ally. It includes infantry, fighter jets and also a cyber security team. This exercise was planned long before the current crisis. But it is a good example of the steps we are taking to bolster our forces and their readiness.

Let me stress: all these measures are entirely defensive, and entirely in line with NATO's commitments.  

And we will continue to do what is necessary, for as long as necessary.  In early June, NATO defence ministers will meet here in Brussels to pave the way for our Wales Summit in September. And we will discuss further steps to reinforce our collective defence.

Our commitment to defend and protect our Allies is rock solid.

So we are looking to strengthen our ability to respond quickly to any threat, including where we have little warning. We are reviewing and updating our defence plans to take into account a more unpredictable security environment. 

And we are considering how we can build on our Connected Forces Initiative to make our exercises more frequent and more demanding. We must exercise all scenarios, including collective defence.  And we must rehearse reinforcement.  

To maintain credible defence and deterrence, we need credible capabilities. Certainly, capabilities cost money. But our security is the foundation for our prosperity. So we must continue to look at how much we spend on defence, and how we spend it. This is an ongoing process, and we are seeing encouraging efforts to start reversing the trend in declining defence budgets, and we see greater multinational cooperation. It is not easy, but more than ever, it is vital. NATO is based on solidarity: all for one, and one for all. NATO keeps every Ally safe. And every Ally must play their full part in contributing to our shared security.

And with that, I am ready to take your questions.