Joint press conference

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President Dan, dear Nicuşor, it is a pleasure, a real pleasure, to welcome you for the first time here to NATO Headquarters.

Romania has been a steadfast Ally for over 20 years.

Romania plays a strategic role in the Alliance on the eastern flank, including the Black Sea. It’s a vital region for our shared security.

You host French-led NATO Forward Land Forces, working together with Allies to defend our eastern flank.

And since the announcement of Eastern Sentry in September, we have brought together more Allied forces and assets to protect our eastern flank – on land, at sea, and in the air. And this is crucial.

In the past seven days alone, Allied aircraft scrambled alongside Romanian F-16s, demonstrating once again NATO’s readiness to deter aggression and defend our eastern flank, including with new technologies to counter drones.

Whenever we are tested, NATO responds quickly and decisively.

We are vigilant and prepared to defend every inch of Allied territory. And we saw this in recent weeks as we intercepted ballistic missiles headed for Türkiye from Iran.

We stand together – and we have the vital capabilities we need to ensure our defence, including ballistic missile defence that you play a key role in hosting.

But, of course, we need to do more. Which is why all Allies agreed last year in The Hague to increase investment in defence.

Romania already spends over 2 percent of its GDP on core defence, increasing to 2.5 percent this year. And this is exactly what all Allies need to do – steadily increase investment.

And it is not only about investing, we need the capabilities that those investments can buy. So, we need our industry to step up. Ramp up production.

And here, too, Romania is playing its part. In November, I had the pleasure of attending the NATO-Industry Forum, which you hosted in Bucharest. It was an important opportunity to come together as Allies and partners – along with industry – to expand our cooperation and to foster innovation.

Working together to enhance our deterrence and defence is essential. And part of ensuring our security involves continued support to, yes, Ukraine.

Romania has been a steady supporter of Ukraine. And I commend you for having signed three bilateral agreements with Ukraine last week, focusing on the co-production of defence materiel.

And in a more volatile and dangerous world, our support for Ukraine will – has to – and will continue.

President Dan, dear Nicuşor,

I am grateful to Romania for helping to ensure our robust posture on the eastern flank – from the Black Sea to the High North.

I know – and all of your Allies know – that we can count on Romania. And Romania can always count on NATO.

Thank you, once again, for your leadership.

Romanian Media Pro TV:

Good morning from Pro TV, a question for both speakers, given the direct threat context that Romania has received from Iran, and given the constant threats we have at our borders due to the Ukraine war. Have you discussed today about the additional security guarantees that our country can receive? And if so, what would these additional securities be, and when can we get them?

NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte:

That's a very good question. And let me assure you, yes, we discussed it. And as the President was saying, Romania is safe. We will defend, as an Alliance, every inch of NATO territory. As you know, the Supreme Allied Commander launched Eastern Sentry in September. This was a reaction to what happened in Poland and also Estonia in September. But particularly that was a direct reaction to what happened in Poland. And what we are doing there, we bring together from the Black Sea up to the High North, all the capabilities we have to make sure that we protect and defend our eastern flank. At the same time, because we do this, we will have better knowledge of where the gaps are we need to fill, what we need to do more of, and what we know is that we have to do more when it comes to drone and anti-drone technology. By the way, we are working closely with the Ukrainians, because our Ukrainian friends, because of this terrible war they have to fight against the Russians, are gaining so much experience when it comes to drones and anti-drone technology. And in Poland, we have this Joint Centre, JATEC, where we work with the Ukrainians to capture all the lessons. So, this will all be deployed on the eastern flank in Eastern Sentry, also in Romania. And we discussed today how we can ramp this up, how we can speed this up even further, as Allies, working together indeed, to defend every inch of NATO territory, and Romania [is] playing a key role here.

Romanian Media Digi 24:

Secretary General, I have a question. Given that the US president is a bit disappointed, or a bit more disappointed at a part of the Allies because they failed to help him secure the traffic through the Hormuz Strait. Will this impact in any way the involvement of the US in NATO, and does the good relationship that you personally have with the president of the US will continue? Thank you.

NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte:

Thank you for the question. Very good question. Let me tackle it head on. So, first of all, in my contacts with Allies all over NATO territory, what I'm sensing and hearing is that we all agree, as we always did, that it was crucial for Iran not to get his hands on a nuclear capability, a ballistic missile capability. And what the US is doing at the moment is degrading that capability of Iran. And I think that's very important. This is important for European security, for the Middle East. It is vital for Israel itself. A nuclear Iran would potentially have been a direct threat to the future of Israel, but again, to the whole Middle East and to Europe. Then when it comes to the Hormuz Strait, everybody agrees this strait cannot stay closed. It has to open up again as soon as possible. This is crucial for the world's economy. It is also crucial because it's unacceptable if a key sea lane is closed, or is so difficult to use that sea lane because of all the threats currently there. But I am, in my contacts with Allies, seeing, that they are intensely discussing amongst each other, with the United States and amongst each other, the best way forward to tackle this huge security issue. And let me add to that, that I am confident that Allies, as always, will do everything in support of our shared interests, as we always do. So we will find a way forward.