Good afternoon everyone and welcome. Thank you for joining us for this launch of the 2025 annual report. We will start with a statement from the secretary general and then turn to your questions.
Yes, good afternoon and thank you for joining us today for the launch of our 2025 annual report. This report is basically a summary of what we have discussed, what we have decided and also what we have done as NATO throughout 2025. And it was quite an eventful year. We see clearly that our world is constantly changing and we are adapting to ensure we remain prepared. Putin's war of aggression continued as did support for Russia's war from China, from Iran, North Korea, and Belarus. We saw increasingly reckless Russian behavior in the context of NATO territory, whether through airspace violations or hybrid threats. China continued its military buildup. The threat from terrorism persisted. The threat picture across 2025 made clear the need to do more. And throughout the year, NATO continued to come together to ensure that we are ready and able to respond to any threat across all domains both now and in the future. Last year, NATO began a new chapter in our common defense. We recognize collectively that this complex and more dangerous security environment call for a bolder approach, one that demands a stronger, a fairer, and a more lethal alliance. And that is why at the NATO summit in The Hague, allies took a historic decision to raise defense investment to 5% of GDP. And as allies are now allocating more to invest in crucial capabilities, we need to ensure that the supply meets our demand. So we also agreed to ramp up defense production and innovation to ensure our industries can provide what our military need. These were defining decisions that will shape the future of our alliance for years to come. The figures in the report speak for themselves. We have made significant progress on defense investment and NATO is stronger today than it has ever been. In 2025, for the first time, all allies met the goal agreed in 2014 to invest at least 2% of their GDP on defense. And many went much further. In fact, we saw a 20% increase in what Europe and Canada spent on defense in 2025 as compared with 2024. Continuing this crucial trend will be a priority in the years to come. For too long, European allies and Canada were overreliant on US military might. We did not take enough responsibility for our own security. But there has been a real shift in mindset, a collective recognition of our changed security environment. And as a European, I'm proud of what we are doing, the tremendous progress being made. We are investing because it is crucial to be able to address the threats we face. Russia remains the most significant and dire threat to security in the Euroatlantic area. In the past year, Russia has tried to test our security and disrupt and defy our societies, whether through airspace violations, sabotage, and malign cyber activities, or political interference and information threats. NATO's response to reckless provocation, whether from Russia or others, has been clear, swift, and decisive. Damage to our critical undersea infrastructure prompted the creation of Baltic Sentry to better guard against potential threats to our undersea infrastructure. In September, airspace violations from Russian drones over Poland led to the creation of Eastern Sentry, further strengthening Allied deterrence along the eastern flank from the high north to the Black Sea. Through both Baltic and Eastern Sentry, we are testing new solutions and integrating innovation, including through the use of drones and counter-drone technologies. And as we continue to invest in the deterrence and defense of the whole of NATO, we also continue to provide crucial support to Ukraine. Our security is so closely connected and that's why in 2025 allies provided the overwhelming majority of military assistance to Ukraine. This was in addition to ongoing humanitarian support and other forms of non-lethal aid. In February 2025, we opened JTEC in Poland, the first joint NATO-Ukraine center to share lessons learned from the war. In the summer of 2025, we launched PURL, providing billions of euros worth of vital American military hardware to Ukraine, paid for by NATO allies and partners. We continued to deliver crucial support through NSATU, our command in Wiesbaden. And we worked with allies and partners who formed the coalition of the willing in 2025 to ensure that once the war comes to an end, there are security guarantees in place to secure the peace. 2025 was a landmark year for NATO. This is clearly demonstrated and documented in this annual report which I'm proud to share with you today. And with that, I'm ready to take your questions.
Okay, let's start over here in the fourth row, Associated Press.
Lauren Cook from the Associated Press. You said again today that NATO is stronger than it's ever been. And when I read the document, I feel this dissonance between what we see in the world and what we have to say about NATO. We've got an ally that had designs on Greenland. A bunch of other allies had to go there with a trigger force, right, to keep this ally away. We've had that ally calling others cowards. We have the Secretary of State and Defense who don't turn up. Russia remains the biggest threat to NATO and doesn't seem like President Putin is intimidated at all really. And you've said yourself within the next few years he could launch an attack somewhere in Europe. How is it that NATO is so strong in these circumstances?
Well, let me answer that question head on. I've said it before. I don't believe that with the present American administration the whole of NATO would have been reaching the 2% at the end of 2025. Take some big economies like Spain and Italy and Belgium and Canada. We're far from the 2% mark. They all got to the 2% and this is bringing billions and billions of euros dollars to spend on defense. And then the summit without the present administration in the United States and the present president I don't think we would ever have reached this commitment to spend 5% of our GDP on defense, including the 3.5% on core defense. And then finally, I think it was very important that the new American president coming in, Trump 47, opened the dialogue again with Russia to end the war in Ukraine because in the end, it was only the United States, I believe, who was able to break the deadlock. So that would be my direct reaction to your question.
Okay. And just next to him, Terry Schulz.
Good morning, DW. Just to follow up a little bit on Lauren, you wouldn't have the higher defense spending, but you also wouldn't have had the insecurity that many European countries felt by the threat of one ally to attack another. But more broadly, when you look at the threat picture as you give it, and you say that it's much more dangerous, the Middle East doesn't come up. And yet so many of your public statements over the last weeks have been about how NATO allies need to support the US in its efforts on Iran. I mean do you feel that this is now a NATO issue and how much are you working behind the scenes to do what you have advocated and that is support the United States in its attacks on Iran?
Thank you for the question. This is not new. The alliance NATO has for some time been clear even before I became secretary general that Iran cannot possess a nuclear weapon. And NATO has also long recognized the threat Iran's missile program posed to allies and their interests. And what the United States is currently doing is degrading those capabilities both the nuclear and the missile. And take as an example what happened with Diego Garcia at the UK-US base which was targeted by a missile which therefore could reach 4,000 kilometers. So the logical conclusion of that missile launch is that Iran has now capabilities increasingly dangerous for allies. Of course the good news is that NATO stands firmly with all allies. We successfully, as you know, intercepted ballistic missiles heading to Turkey from Iran on three separate occasions. And when it comes to making sure that sea lanes are opening up again and if they have opened up again, that collectively we are able to as a world community to make sure that ships can sail there. We have now 30 countries coming together, many from NATO, but also Japan and Korea, Australia and New Zealand and Bahrain and the UAE. But most of them from NATO to discuss and then implement the question of the what, the where and the when when it comes to making sure that the sea lanes stay open.
Okay, let's come over here. Second row, BBC.
Good morning. Congratulations, new director general. The first question is on Iran. You told our partners at CBS News that President Trump is doing this to make the whole world safe. I was just wondering how you can argue that in the short and medium term and also how concerned you are about the impact on Ukraine because you talk about how it's so central to Europe's security and we've seen already how it's really benefiting President Putin, what's happening in terms of the easing of sanctions on oil and that the Ukrainian conflict is being overshadowed, which I know is a concern of yours. And secondly, if I may, you have made a conscious decision not to criticize President Trump publicly. You're among a number of figures on the global stage who have done that. But just last week, he was saying that NATO allies were cowards for not joining what's happening in Iran, joining him and Prime Minister Netanyahu. And in that Truth Social post, he ended it by saying we will remember. Now whether or not President Trump is aware of this, but that has real echoes and chimes with words of remembrance that for more than 100 years people in Europe in particular have been using that sort of phrase, we will remember them. So I just wonder, I'm not inviting you to criticize President Trump because I know that's something you've been reluctant to do, but how does that touch you? How does that fill you when you see that sort of post?
Well, thank you. Let me address various elements in the question. So first on Ukraine, the good news is that essential equipment into Ukraine continues to flow and that is important because we have to do everything and NATO is very much involved through the command in Wiesbaden, through JTEC, individual nations providing support to Ukraine including the essential equipment coming from the United States paid for by European allies getting into Ukraine. So that continues, that's good. Then when it comes to the comments of President Trump, as I said also on CBS, what I've been seeing is some frustration with him about the Europeans needing to take time to react to his request when it comes to this question of making sure that sea lanes are open. And I said hey there is a reason for that and the reason is that for good reasons the US was not able to consult with allies because they wanted to keep the campaign secret and again for good reasons to make sure that nobody knew what happened on that Saturday morning it's always a risk if you inform too many people that things might leak but that also had the disadvantage that it takes time for the Europeans to get organized. The good news now is that thanks to the leadership from the United Kingdom, Sweden, France and others. Originally six countries, the US, the UK, France, Italy and Germany and Japan and the Netherlands. Then on Friday, 22 countries and by now over 30 countries have committed to come together to discuss the what, the where and when when it comes to making sure that the sea lanes stay open. And this is exactly also to the request of President Trump and more generally when it comes to the Middle East and the situation in Iran. NATO has been consistent over the years that NATO does not want as an alliance and this is a collective position for Iran to get its hands on either a nuclear capability or a missile capability.
We'll go to the fourth row. Interfax Ukraine in the center.
Thank you. Interfax Ukraine. A follow-up on what you just said that American weapons continue to flow to Ukraine. Washington Post just reported that the Pentagon might consider to redirect weapons which are going to Ukraine to the Middle East. So what do you know about it? And because it's mentioned that it is already weapons which were already pre-ordered in the frame of PURL NATO program for Ukraine. So what do you know about this and what NATO is going to do or would do if it will happen?
Well, as I already mentioned in reaction to another question, this crucial equipment through PURL, so this US vital equipment for Ukraine including interceptors is continuing to flow into Ukraine. And let me add that since the launch and that was of course last summer, PURL has now supplied around 75% of all missiles for Ukraine's Patriot batteries and 90% of the ammunition used in other air defense systems. So this is an important program again continuing to flow.
Also in the center, Anadolu Agency.
Secretary General. This is Anadolu Agency. Good morning. You've mentioned your efforts regarding the formation of a multinational coalition outside of NATO to address the situation in the Strait of Hormuz, but I want to focus more on the NATO dimension of the conflict and you've mentioned it yourself in light of the recent developments in the region, the ballistic missile attacks on Turkey and NATO territory on three occasions actually. I would like to know is the alliance taking or planning to take additional measures to augment Turkey's security? Could you kindly elaborate on those?
Well, obviously I cannot go into the more secretive military planning, but I can assure you one thing. NATO is the strongest military alliance in world history. And we will do everything as 32 allies, the United States and Canada and the 30 allies in Europe to do everything to defend every inch of NATO territory. And taking out these three missiles heading for Turkey is clear evidence of that and we will continue to do so. And making clear to any adversary that we will do everything necessary to indeed make sure that we are safe.
Coming over here to the second row towards the center.
Hi, good morning from Breaking Defense. This week the CEO of Rheinmetall warned that European, American and Middle Eastern munition stockpiles were nearly empty. In the report, it says that in line with the updated defense production action plan, greater spending would allow for rapid expansion of such production. How do you explain these claims that NATO countries still have near empty munitions despite years of warning and what concrete steps will you take to fix that gap?
Yeah. Thank you so much. And this is clearly one of the main focus areas also in Ankara at the NATO summit. No doubt. How to make sure that we ramp up defense production because defense production in the end is an integral part of our overall deterrence and defense. It is the men and women in uniform but also making sure they have what they need to fight wars which others want to mount on us and we then will defeat them if they try. When it comes to ammunition particularly as you know there's some good news that we have been able to increase the production of ammunition sixfold compared to a couple of years ago but still clearly there's more to do and when you look at the broader defense industrial base and this is an issue which we have to confront both in the United States in Canada as well as in Europe the defense industrial base at the moment is simply not producing enough and we are not fast enough in implementing innovation. We're getting better, but we have to do more. One of the reasons why we started the two sentries last year and also Arctic Sentry this year is not only to defend what we try to defend and will defend through the sentries, but also to make sure that we know where the gaps are, which capabilities we need to develop, including when it comes to innovation. Take for example drone and anti-drone technology. Here, as also is now the case in the Middle East, we can learn from Ukraine. But there are other examples also examples of how to make sure that the latest innovation AI technologies are an integral part of our overall defense. So this is crucial. I know the American president had a meeting with the five primes in the US. I spoke with one of the CEOs afterwards. It was a very effective meeting. We are doing the same of course here. National leaders like President Macron and others sitting with defense industry here in Europe. And finally, this is of course a transatlantic issue, but it is also a transatlantic defense industrial base. More and more we see European companies investing in the United States. But we also see US companies setting up shop here to for example produce missiles for Patriots.
Okay. And we're going to the back now. Frankfurt Allgemeine.
Frankfurt Allgemeine Reporter
23:48 ↗
Thanks so much. Thomas with Frankfurt Allgemeine. Two questions please. The first one, there's a report out today claiming that Russia now delivers combat drones to Iran. Can you confirm this? Does NATO have any information about this? So, the other way. And the second question, completely unrelated. The former Lithuanian foreign minister Landsbergis has called for a NATO investigation into whether Hungary, and especially Hungarian foreign minister, has leaked confidential information from NATO meetings. You've heard what he said about his behavior before and after EU meetings. Do you see reason of concern that he's behaved in the same way when he met with fellow NATO colleagues and if so would you launch an investigation?
Thank you very much. On the first question, of course we know that Russia, Iran, North Korea and China are working closely together. We know that Iran is one of the suppliers of essential gear for Russia to maintain and solidify its war against its unsolicited provocation war against Ukraine. That's clear. So it tells you something when these reports come out that Russia is sharing so much also with Iran. So let's not be naive about that. I cannot tell you what intelligence is telling us because obviously that's intelligence. So we keep that secret. But you can see yourself from open sources and we noticed for some years that there is a close connection between Iran, Russia, North Korea and China. And then on the second question, all 32 allies they all agree that Russia is our most significant threat. There is no discussion about that threat to our security now and longer term. And also that all 32 allies are totally committed to make sure that we have the collective defense in place. We take the necessary steps required to ensure indeed that we can deter any. So we're working together with all allies on this every day.
Now the third row in the center. Al Arabiya.
Good afternoon. I want to clarify something because you have been under criticism in the last couple of days because of the interviews you gave in the weekend. European diplomats felt you overstepped your role because the mood in Europe was not endorsing the war. Israel and the US are now fighting but there was much more hesitation and also the fact that you said all these countries are coming together the message the European nations were saying that they only want to help when there is a ceasefire or at least the fighting has stopped the message you're giving now sounds different so could you please respond to this criticism and clarify exactly what these 30 countries are going to do?
Yeah I don't think there I think I'm still saying the same. And that is that as I said also on Sunday that NATO has always been consistently clear that the whole alliance that obviously for Iran to possess a nuclear or a missile capability poses a threat not only to the region. An existential threat by the way to potentially Israel but also a threat to Europe. And Iran is an exporter of chaos to the region and to the world for many years now. Let's not be naive about it. And what the United States is doing now is degrading that capability. And yes, I applaud it. In the alliance, you will always have different views. That's unavoidable. It is an alliance of democracies. But when it comes to not accepting Iran having a nuclear and missile capability, we all agree. The whole of the alliance has also condemned the indiscriminate attacks of Iran on its neighbors. That was in a meeting only last week with ambassadors also of the Gulf States here at NATO headquarters. And then indeed when it comes to this group of countries coming together most of them from NATO to make sure that the Strait of Hormuz, the sea lanes are open and indeed that begs the question given the fact that the war is ongoing. What does that mean in terms of the what question, the when question and the where question? Actively now countries are working together. The United Kingdom is leading that effort under Prime Minister Starmer and the senior military in the United Kingdom together with France and others to make sure that those questions will be answered. And this is to President Trump's request. He said, hey, I would have rather have that scene earlier starting. And there my reaction is Europe needed time because the United States for good reasons was not able to inform allies of what was going to happen now three and a half weeks ago on Saturday morning because that would have potentially led to a leak or whatever. That was always a risk when the US had the opportunity to take out Iran's leadership. So I totally understand that. I don't criticize that. That means that it takes some time for Europe to come together and that's happening as we speak.
