Joint press conference

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Dear Chancellor Merz, lieber Friedrich,

Thank you for the warm welcome. It’s always a pleasure to be in Berlin.

At the Summit in The Hague, we took the decisions to make NATO stronger. And at the core is the agreement to invest a historic 5% of GDP in defence.

This includes 3.5% for core defence requirements and 1.5% for defence- and security-related investments.

Germany has earmarked more than €108 billion for security and defence in 2026. And thank you, Friedrich, for committing to reach the 3.5% for core defence requirements in 2029 already – a truly impressive shift demonstrating exactly the kind of resolve we need to ensure our security.

Germany is leading by example and sending an important signal. A signal that Europe is ready to take on more responsibility. A signal that burden sharing is not just a slogan, but a concrete commitment. And a signal to any adversary that NATO remains strong, united, and fully capable of defending our territory.

Germany’s contributions to the Alliance are impressive. On the ground, German forces form the backbone of NATO’s Forward Land Forces in Lithuania. Furthermore, Germany provides essential troops and equipment across NATO’s eastern flank.

In the air, German aircraft support Baltic Air Policing and enhance our deterrence and defence posture. And at sea, the German Navy safeguards vital lines of communication and plays an indispensable role in protecting critical infrastructure in the Baltic Sea.

And of course, Germany continues to be a driving force behind the support to Ukraine. You are helping Ukraine defend its sovereignty today – and deter future aggression.

This is vital as we continue to support the urgent efforts to bring this war to a just and lasting end. And this matters not only for Ukraine, but for the security of the whole Euro-Atlantic area.

As we face continued threats to our security, I am grateful to see Germany as a leading power within the Alliance, inspiring other European Allies to follow.

This is crucial as we work to ensure that we can continue to deter aggression and defend our freedom and our way of life. We know we can count on Germany, and Germany can count on NATO. Lieber Herr Bundeskanzler, lieber Friedrich, ich freue mich auf unsere weitere Zusammenarbeit.

Reporter

In English, one question first to you, Mr. Rutte. The new US National Security Strategy calls for ending the perception and preventing the reality of NATO as a perpetually expanding Alliance. In your eyes, where is the limit to NATO expansion? And to the Chancellor, also related to the US security strategy, how worried are you that the US administration may step away from its commitment to station tomahawk cruise missiles here in Germany next year?

NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte

As NATO Secretary General, of course, my main focus is to make sure that the Alliance as a whole is safe. When I, through that lens, look at the NSS, it clearly states that US is committed to Europe, to keep Europe safe, the US is committed to NATO, and it also acknowledges that for the whole of the Alliance to stay safe, you need a strong cooperation within NATO between the European Allies and Canada and the United States.

And indeed, as the Chancellor was saying, when you then take a look at the NATO Summit in the Hague, it has been President Trump consistently, when he was Trump 45 and now Trump 47, pleading for European Allies and Canada to do more, in The Hague we did. We decided collectively to go to this 5%, including the 3.5% on core defence spending, which equalises the spending in Europe and Canada with what the US is spending. And this has been since the 1950s, since Eisenhower, a big irritant on the US side. They have always been committed to NATO, but they also had the expectation that we would spend more, that we would at least spend the same as they are doing, not only because we want all to spend the same but because we have to do it to reach our capability targets to make sure that we can fight the Russians if they would attack us. And of course, we also have the huge build up in China.

So you see Europe stepping up. And here again, Germany is taking the lead. The fact that Germany has decided to reach the 3.5% in 2029, six years before 2035, is huge. It is a staggering amount of money Germany will spend on its defence. But it is also a clear call to arms for all the others in Europe to do the same. And then, when you look at Europe stepping up, we have seen PURL, which is buying from the US defence base to deliver weapons into Ukraine - again, Europe and Canada stepping up. We have seen it as the Coalition of the Willing under European leadership to make sure that when there is peace in Ukraine or a long-term cease fire, that we can keep Ukraine safe going forward. And then, more recently, when you have looked at, when you take a look at the Baltics, what happened there with the cutting of undersea, sea cables, when you take a look at the eastern border as a whole, with the reckless airspace incursions from Russia, so Baltic Sentry and Eastern Sentry, the names of these two missions, again, it is Europe, including Germany, delivering the bulk of the troops necessary there, be it air, land or sea.

So, I think we are stepping up. And this is what is seen in the US, and this is recognised, and this is exactly what President Trump asked for. And Europe is doing it.