President, Norway
NATO Secretary General with the Prime Minister of Norway 🇳🇴 Jonas Gahr Støre, 11 JUN 2026
Joint Press Point with NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte and the Prime Minister of Norway, Jonas Gahr Støre, 11 June 2026.
🗣 | NATO Secretary General:
Well, good afternoon.
Prime Minister Støre, dear Jonas, welcome back to NATO. And it’s always a pleasure to see you. We last met in March before I travelled to the Norwegian Arctic during exercise Cold Response. There, more than 30,000 personnel from 14 Allies – including 4,000 US troops – trained together in demanding conditions above the Arctic Circle, demonstrating Allies’ ability to work together, through NATO, to defend every part of ou...
About Jonas Støre
Jonas Gahr Støre, the Prime Minister of Norway, appeared alongside NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte at NATO headquarters on June 11, 2026. During the joint press point, Støre stated that Norway’s defense spending rose to over 3% of GDP in 2025, up from just over 2% the previous year, and he committed to continuing investment increases. He noted that the Norwegian Parliament had unanimously backed a long-term defense plan, which he described as unprecedented, and that Norway is the second-largest supporter of Ukraine in total numbers after Germany. Støre said Norway is strengthening European capability within NATO and deepening bilateral defense cooperation, including agreements with the United Kingdom for frigates, Germany for submarines, and France, as well as working with Poland, the Netherlands, and Canada. He described the United States as Norway’s most important ally due to the high north’s proximity to Russia, and he emphasized that the alliance’s collective defense ensures mutual security. On May 18, 2026, Støre held a joint press meet with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Støre said the two countries were elevating their relationship to a green strategic partnership, focusing on knowledge, resources, and ambitions for the green transition. He announced a memorandum of understanding on developing high-tech health services, digital health, and artificial intelligence research. Støre noted that trade between India and Norway had doubled over the past decade and that a free trade agreement between the EFTA countries and India had been signed, which he called one of the most important trade agreements Norway has ever signed. He stated that it is important to stand together for a rules-based order and to oppose the weaponization of diplomacy, trade, and technology.
Transcript (12 segments)
✨ AI-enhanced transcript with speaker attribution
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NATO Secretary General0:07
Well, good afternoon. Prime Minister Støre, dear Jonas, welcome back to NATO and always a pleasure to see you. We last met in March before I traveled to the Norwegian Arctic during Exercise Cold Response. There, more than 30,000 personnel from 14 allies, including 4,000 US troops, trained together in demanding conditions above the Arctic Circle, demonstrating all's ability to work together through NATO to defend every part of our territory. Exercises are only one example of Norway's important role in our alliance and your longstanding commitment to NATO's collective defense. Norway has highly capable armed forces, and Norwegian personnel serve in NATO activities across all domains. You contribute to NATO's forward land forces in Lithuania, and I know you will be supporting forward land forces in Finland as well, which was established just a few days ago. Norwegian aircraft regularly support NATO's air policing missions across the alliance and have helped safeguard police airspace, protecting key supply lines to Ukraine. The high north is of growing strategic importance to our security; Norway's expertise and leadership are essential to NATO's posture in the region. Norway's core defense spending rose to over 3% of GDP in 2025, up from just over 2% in the previous year. This is truly impressive and exactly what we need to see across the alliance. I welcome your commitment to continue increasing investment in the coming years. Next week in this building, NATO defense ministers will meet to finalize preparations for our upcoming summit in Ankara. This includes reviewing progress on increasing investment in defense, meeting our ambitious capability targets, and ensuring that our plans and policies are continually adapted to support our deterrence. In Ankara, allies will also demonstrate how we are strengthening defense industrial production on both sides of the Atlantic and building a stronger, fairer, and more capable NATO. Of course, we cannot think about our own security without attention to Ukraine. In Ankara, we will showcase our support, and that responsibility support is more fairly shared by all. Last week, I was with NATO ambassadors for a historic NATO-Ukraine Council meeting in Kiev. There, all allies sent a strong message of support to Ukraine. Norway contributes to prior Ukraine, helping deliver urgently needed US aid to Ukraine. You are a leading contributor to this initiative, including your most recent additional contribution of over 300 million US dollars. I welcome the agreement between Norway and Ukraine to deepen defense and security cooperation, including support for the production of drones. This will help strengthen Ukraine's ability to defend itself and sustain its fight against Russian aggression. Prime Minister Støre, Jonas, the high north to the eastern flank, Norway makes the alliance stronger. Thank you for your leadership, support to Ukraine, and unwavering commitment to our transatlantic alliance.
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Jonas Støre4:23
Thank you so much, Secretary General. Thank you, Mark. Thank you so much. Let me give insight into what it means to be an experienced European prime minister, but still you got with your own eyes to see some of the capabilities. You were back at the Cold Response, which was the biggest NATO exercise so far this year, this time coordinated with Finland, which is translating a new reality in the north. I'm very happy to be here a few weeks ahead of Ankara. We are following that with great interest and attention. You refer to Norwegian budget spending. Last week, I was able to salute the fact that the Norwegian Parliament unanimously backed a long-term defense plan. That is something we've never had before. We have previously also been able to gather all political parties. It supports across the board, whoever will be responsible in governments in years to come. They have this basis, and I think that's important. We are basically making a major reshuffle of all our defense, and we will live up to the targets. My second point is that increasing NATO's capability, strengthening regional plans, all Nordic countries are now assembled in the command structure in Norfolk, Virginia, and we are getting a new structure which is reflecting modern realities. We are also taking greater European responsibility. I speak with the current American administration: Europe does more, but this issue predates the current administration, and now it's happening. From the Norwegian side, I can tell you that we emphasize strengthening Europe's capability by strengthening that capability inside NATO, and we do it also by deepening our bilateral cooperation with our European partners. The US is Norway's most important ally because of the special circumstances in the high north, living next to Russia. But we have deepened with a modern defense agreement with the United Kingdom, from whom we will buy modern frigates. We are deepening with Germany, from whom we will buy modern submarines. And last week, I signed with France an agreement also on defense, and we are working with Poland, the Netherlands, and Canada to do the same. So this is about updating the European capability. Finally, on Ukraine, we have to be steadfast supporters of Ukraine's ability to defend itself. I was with President Zelenskyy two days ago in Kyiv. He is at a better place, but it is a place nobody would like to be because it is under constant attack at the frontline, taking enormous numbers of lives, and also living through the nightly and daily attacks by missiles and drones from Russia. So we have to support Ukraine because this is about fairness and principles, but it is also about Europe's ability to uphold standards for how we live together. You cannot seize territory from another country like Russia is aiming to do, and that is why NATO coordination is so important. Mark, these packages for Ukraine, Norway has been a supporter of that, and going into Ankara, we will have to also encourage other allies to stand up to that because this is what is going to make Ukraine able to withstand that test. So thank you for receiving me. I look forward to going into our talks.
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NATO Secretary General8:44
Then we have a very limited amount of time. Take as many questions as we can. Start with NRK.
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Reporter8:50
Afternoon from Norwegian broadcasting. I go directly to the question most Norwegians are wondering these days: if there is an attack on Norway or another act of war against Norway, can we still trust that NATO and the US will assist us?
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Jonas Støre9:14
Yes, very clear. And the answer is yes. The United States remains fully committed to NATO. We see that commitment every day all over the alliance with US troops in Europe, US leadership within the alliance, and US contributions to our collective defense. Of course, commitment is always measured by actions. So let me get to the actions. The United States continues to demonstrate in practical terms its commitment to NATO every day. We see men and women from the US serve alongside allies. US forces, a US maritime exercise in the Baltic Sea, taking part in Ramstein Flag, NATO's largest air exercise this year, which stretches from the high north to southern Europe and includes advanced US air capabilities including F-35. Earlier this year, the US exercise Sore 26 across eight allied countries in the high north and the Baltic. This is an exercise designed to demonstrate the ability of US forces to reinforce and defend NATO territory. And earlier this year, as I said, more than 4,000 US troops participated in response in Norway and Finland. I visited the exercise myself as a first continued US commitment to our collective defense. The answer is yes.
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Reporter10:49
Okay. Associated Press here in the yellow.
Yes. Hi, Mark, from Associated Press. Good morning. UK defense minister John Healey just resigned over a disagreement about defense spending from the United Kingdom. Just stressed the fact that this isn't an easy process to ramp up defense spending.
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NATO Secretary General11:15
What we are seeing all over the alliance is countries really stepping up. The United Kingdom last year increased its defense spending. I had not heard this announcement. John Healey I respect very much, so I have to accept your assessment that this happened, but for me it's new. But more generally speaking, what we are seeing all over the alliance is countries increasing their defense investments. And of course, it's not easy because in the end there is always the trade-off with other expenses which are also important, but the core task of every government in the end is keeping the country safe and making sure that there is a strong economy. These are the two pillars for our deterrence and defense: a strong economy sustains all the jobs people in it, and at the same time making that country as safe as possible.
Final question.
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Reporter12:07
To follow up on my colleague, we saw yesterday that there was a poll where only 11% of Europeans view the US as an ally, and majorities in many European countries doubt that the US will actually defend us if attacked.
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NATO Secretary General12:29
Confidence. Pointing to facts, as I discussed with your colleague, is that the US is not only in word fully committed to NATO but also in practice. And we see this. I just listed all these examples where the US is heavily participating in joint exercises and leading those exercises with substantial contributions. We have over 80,000 US troops in Europe. Ultimately, freedom of Europe, but let me then give you the facts. The facts are that the US is here. Also, this prime minister made this extremely clear when he visited the White House and always repeats this: he said the defense of the US mainland starts in Europe, it starts particularly in Norway. And you pointed out that these huge nuclear submarines from Russia on the other side of the border, and you have that historic border between NATO and Russia. Of course, before Finland and all joined, this was the only real border we had until the late 80s. With Finland joining, of course we have a much longer border. But what Jonas Støre showed to the American president: these nuclear submarines are not there to attack Norway, they are there to attack the mainland of the United States. And the fact that we are together in NATO, the US keeping Europe safe.
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Jonas Støre13:59
That is exactly what the prime minister demonstrated. How we are interconnected in alliance. Thank you. Can I add to just that? When you enter the building here, you see all the flags. We are 32 democracies. Elections bring new administrations, but they stay in terms of respecting the obligations. And I have to, based on what is happening in the high north, if anything during the last year, we are working more closely with the United States on precisely what the secretary general is saying: maintaining high north stability. That attitude we bring into Ankara in a month. Thank you all. We have time for. Thank you so much. Thank you.