Good afternoon everyone and welcome. We are preparing for the meeting of defense ministers will tomorrow... willonatary... generaled... thank you so much. Welcome.
Good afternoon. Eh, tomorrow indeed NATO defense ministers will meet here at NATO headquarters as we prepare for the summit in Ankara, which is now less than five months from now.
When leaders gather in Turkië in July, we will build on the historic decisions made at the summit in the Hake last year.
It was there that allies agreed to ensure that NATO is a stronger and fairer alliance, including by increasing defense spending to 5% of GDP by 2035 and substantially boosting our defense industry.
Tomorrow I look forward to hearing from ministers on how allies are implementing decisions. Each is delivering to ensure our on security. Investment is up by tens of billions.
Take Germany for example. Germany by 2029 will spend 152 billion euros on defense. That is more than double what they were spending in 2021. So in eight years they will double their defense spending going up to 152 billion euros. Just one example, of course, a very big ally, but still one example from many.
We will talk, of course, tomorrow about how allies are planning further increases to their defense spending, ensuring that there is a credible path to our common goal.
As allies invest more, it is crucial that the capabilities we need are available to buy. So we are building our defense industrial base. We need to produce more. This means more air defense, more ammunition, and stronger supply chains across the alliance. We need to move faster adopting new technologies, accelerating procurement, and ensuring our defense industry can deliver at speed and can deliver at scale.
We need this on both sides of the Atlantic, and we need to work together across the Atlantic. Yes, we are seeing progress. We are also seeing progress when it comes to sharing responsibility for leadership in our NATO command structure. Just last week, allies agreed a new distribution of senior officer posts, with European allies taking on greater responsibility, including the newest NATO members. And this is good news. We are doing this together, redistributing roles in ways that make sense for all involved.
Tomorrow we also discuss our support for Ukraine. I was there last week and saw the impact of Russia's relentless attacks, including on critical civilian infrastructure. And once again, President Putin is trying to break the people of Ukraine, hoping to weaken their resolve. But Ukraine and the Ukrainian people have shown time and again that they will not be broken. Still, Ukraine cannot sustain the fight or secure peace alone.
This is all backed by action, not just words. Since the first day of Russia's full-scale invasion nearly three years ago, 99% of all military support Ukraine has received has come from NATO allies and partners. And NATO continues to strengthen the coordination and the delivery of that support.
Coordination through our command in Wiesbaden, training and lessons learned at our center in Bydgoszcz, political consultation in the NATO-Ukraine Council, and practical support through the Comprehensive Assistance Package. Our Ukraine initiative continues to deliver vital aid for Ukraine with funding provided by allies and partners. The support delivered through that initiative saves lives in Ukraine every single day.
Tomorrow ministers will be joined by Ukraine's new defense minister, Mykhailo Fedorov, to discuss how allies can enhance their support and make it more effective. We will also be joined by the European Union. The European Union is an essential partner of NATO. Our cooperation, including on support for Ukraine, is crucial for our shared security.
Throughout 2025, allies continued to strengthen our posture, including on the eastern flank and critical infrastructure. This brings me to the Arctic. The Arctic and the High North are increasingly important for our collective security. We must be able to operate in all conditions.
Finland and Sweden's membership greatly enhances NATO's posture in the region and our Arctic capabilities. Still, in the face of Russia's increased military activity and China's growing interest in the High North, we must do more. So we have launched Arctic Sentry.
Arctic Sentry leverages the strength of the alliance by bringing together NATO and allied activities in the High North into one overarching operational approach to deterrence. Initially, it will involve tens of thousands of personnel and the equipment they need to operate successfully in Arctic conditions, making clear our commitment to ensuring Arctic security and indeed the security of the whole alliance together.
We continue to synchronize these efforts to address potential challenges in the Arctic. This meeting is making NATO stronger by delivering on our defense investment and defense industrial commitments, strengthening our deterrence and defense, and sustaining our support for Ukraine. With that, for now, I'm ready to take your questions.
Okay, let's start with Reuters.
