Joint press conference

ESPACE PRIVÉ PRESSE & MÉDIAS

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Minister Sandvik, Minister Eide, dear Tore, dear Espen, thank you for hosting me here in the High North today. It is indeed an honour and a pleasure to witness some of the incredible efforts undertaken as part of Cold Response 26.

Norway is a key player when it comes to the security of our northern flank. You have developed specialised military capabilities tailored not just to cold weather operations, but to Arctic and also to sub-Arctic conditions.

You provide NATO with a wide range of capabilities for Arctic operations, and you conduct vital supporting activities and exercises.

And over the last several days, indeed, Cold Response has once again demonstrated Norway's central role, with over 30,000 personnel here and in Finland from 14 Allied countries training as part of this exercise.

We have seen many examples today of our military readiness. How exercising and learning from one another builds bonds between allies and ensures the ability of NATO nations to operate effectively and to do this together.

Cold Response is also one of the first major activities brought together under Arctic Sentry, NATO's new enhanced Vigilance Activity in the Arctic and in the High North.

But it is not only during the exercise that we can learn from Norway's expertise. You host the NATO Centre of Excellence for Cold Weather Operations, consistently sharing your knowledge on how to operate in extreme conditions.

Norway also hosts one of NATO's Combined Air Operation Centres in Bodø, enhancing our shared security and NATO's ability to plan, to coordinate and to oversee air operations in the Nordic region, the Baltic and Barents Seas, and in the North Atlantic.

NATO will defend every inch of allied territory - regardless of the direction from which challenges may come. Our armed forces are ready to operate in extreme conditions, and Cold Response 26 is taking that readiness even further.

I want to thank you, as our host, for your leadership during this exercise. Working together, we will continue to guarantee safety and security for our one billion citizens.

NRK

Hello, Mr. Rutte. Is Norway's military buildup happening fast enough? What is your thought on that?

NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte

Yes, I think it is. Norway is absolutely investing in its military capabilities. You have a clear path, to do more over the coming years. You are, when it comes to Ukraine, you are really one of the leaders in NATO, in the support for Ukraine.

When it comes to defence spending, when it comes to defending the eastern flank, defending the Arctic and all these issues, Norway is clearly taking a leadership role. You're not the biggest nation, but you can say that you are punching heavily above your weight, and that's exactly what we need.

TV2

Donald Trump has voiced strong frustration over NATO Allies’ reluctance to take part in efforts to reopen the Strait of Hormuz, and has once again hinted that the United States could consider withdrawing from the Alliance. How do you respond to that? And does this prompt you to reconsider NATO's role and involvement in the Middle East?

NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte

Well, let me first of all state, and say, that when it comes to Iran, and the risk of Iran getting its hands on a nuclear capability, or a ballistic missile capability, we have consistently said, as NATO, collectively, that that cannot happen. So it is really crucial that, that capability of the ballistic missiles, of the nuclear capability, is severely degraded.

When it comes to the Strait of Hormuz, I have been in contact with many Allies. We all agree, of course, that the strait has to open up again. And what I know is that Allies are working together, discussing how to do that, what is the best way to do it. They are working on that, collectively, to find a way forward.

Forsvaretsforum

Hello, Mr. Rutte. How important is it, with this exercise, with all these Allied countries training together, not too far from Russia?

NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte

It's vital. When we look at Russia, and you look what Russia is doing now in Ukraine, and whilst they are fighting in Ukraine, and against Ukraine, Ukraine bravely fighting back, and I'm really impressed with what the Ukrainians are doing.

But whilst Russia is doing that, at the same time, they are still able to continue the output of their defence industrial base. They spend 40% of their budget on defence, of the state budget, which is 10% of the overall national income of Russia. And that means, it is not there to organise parades in Moscow. It's there to be used. They use it now against Ukraine, and we know from open source, what our intelligence services are telling and mentioning to the media over the last 12 to 18 months, that we have to be ready for Russia to indeed mount a challenge to NATO. Can it be in ’27, could it be in ’29, could it be in ’31? And that means that we have to be ready - and that is money - and we decided in The Hague to spend the money, this is the famous 5%, including the 3.5% core defence spending. It's about keeping Ukraine strong. And it is also about the defence industrial output.

And one of the things Norway is doing is really getting its defence industry to produce more, to work with other industries, across the Atlantic, not only in Europe, but also with the US. We are seeing many examples when it comes to this, also in this exercise, what Norway is capable of. But also the rest of the Alliance. So I think we really have to be vigilant.

Nye Troms

Question to Mr. Rutte, also the Ministers can answer, if they want to. What is the importance of railways in a NATO setting, to transport personnel and military equipment? And should Norway, Sweden and Finland be equally equipped?

NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte

Well, military mobility, to use the buzz word for this, is crucial. Because what you want for a bridge, not only to hold my 18-year-old Saab, but also to be able to hold the tank if it needs to cross that bridge. And we know there are too many examples in Europe where we need to do more, to make sure that all these bridges are able, when they have to be used in wartime, to also hold our heavy military equipment.

But this is more than bridges. It is the whole issue of logistics, moving from one part to the other. When you look at Norway, I will not go into all the details. Maybe some of it is classified, but you can, when you look at the map of Norway, you will easily find the spots on the map where Norway plays a vital role to make sure that when reinforcements are necessary, they can be pumped through Norway, into Europe.

But also when it comes to my country, the Netherlands, the port of Rotterdam, I can mention that because it is open source again. Other ports in Europe playing a vital role. Military mobility playing a vital role, our railways playing a vital role. So we are working on this day in, day out. We do this with Norway, the UK, Türkiye, working with the European Union, when it comes to the European Union countries, of course. Also EU, and then working again with Norway, the UK, and Türkiye, and other countries not in the EU, because this is really a joint endeavour. Because it's great to have the investments. It's great to have the defence industrial output, the men and women in uniform, well trained, but we need to get them to the place where we need them.