NATO Secretary General press conference at Defence Ministers Meeting, 14 JUN 2024

Press conference by NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg following the meeting of NATO Ministers of Defence, 14 June 2024 🗣 | NATO Secretary General: Good afternoon. Today we have concluded our last meeting of ministers before the NATO Summit in Washington next month. Our key agenda items were support for Ukraine and deterrence and defence of the Alliance. We have made significant progress on both fronts. On Ukraine, We have agreed a plan that sets out how NATO will lead the coordination of security assistance and training. This will allow NATO Leaders to launch this effort at the Washington Summit in July. Putting our support to Ukraine on a firmer footing for years to come. It will consist of a NATO command, located at a U.S. facility in Wiesbaden, and at Logistical nodes in the Eastern part of the Alliance under a 3-Star General reporting to Supreme Allied Commander Europe, SACEUR. Across the Alliance, this effort is expected to involve nearly 700 personnel from NATO and partner countries. NATO will oversee training of Ukrainian armed forces at training facilities in Allied countries, support Ukraine through the planning and coordination of donations; manage transfer and repair of equipment, provide support to the long-term development of Ukraine’s Armed Forces. These efforts do not make NATO a party to the conflict, but they will enhance our support to Ukraine to uphold its right to self-defence. NATO Security Assistance and Support for Ukraine is a key Summit deliverable. Alongside a long-term financial pledge, and further steps on Ukraine’s path to NATO membership. Ministers also addressed the ongoing campaign of hostile acts that Russia is conducting against Allies. In recent weeks, we have seen a surge of sabotage, cyber-attacks, instrumentalized migration and other hostile actions by Russia. We will be calm and measured in how we respond to Russian provocations. At the same time, we will call out Russia’s actions and impose costs. Today, Ministers agreed a set of response options on which Allies will draw individually and collectively. This includes increased intelligence exchange, enhanced protection of critical infrastructure, including undersea and in cyber space, and further restrictions on Russian intelligence operatives. Russia’s campaign will not deter us from supporting Ukraine. And we will continue to protect our territories and populations against hostile actions. On deterrence and defence, At the Vilnius Summit, Allies agreed the most comprehensive defence plans since the Cold War, detailing how NATO will deter and defend against global threats, including Russia. Our military planners are translating those plans into concrete requirements, identifying the forces and capabilities needed to defend us. Allies are offering forces to NATO’s command at a scale not seen in decades. Today we haves 500,000 troops at high readiness across all domains, significantly more than the goal that was set at the 2022 Madrid Summit. NATO has also doubled the number of battle groups on the Eastern flank. Allies are also taking on larger, more demanding exercises to test our abilities. This year, Steadfast Defender included some 90,000 troops across Europe. The growing threats we face demand significantly increased capability requirements from Allies. In areas such as weapons and ammunition, air and missile defence, logistics and long-range weapons. As an example, over the next five years, NATO Allies across Europe and Canada plan to acquire thousands of air defence and artillery systems, 850 modern aircraft, mostly 5th generation F-35s and also a lot of high-end capabilities. We also continue to invest in innovation, including more than 1 billion dollars in the NATO Innovation Fund, Continued: ▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬ SUBSCRIBE to this channel SUBSCRIBE to NATO News SUBSCRIBE to NATO History Connect with NATO online: Visit the Official NATO Homepage: Receive NATO updates via email: Find NATO on FACEBOOK: Follow @NATO on X/TWITTER: Follow NATO on Instagram: Find NATO on LinkedIn: Find NATO on Flickr: #NATO #OTAN #DefMin