NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg meeting with press outside the White House on meeting with President Biden

NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg
Good evening, I just finished a very good meeting with President Biden. We addressed a wide range of issues. Russia, China, global terrorism, cyber threats, and also the security consequences of climate change.

But we spent most of the time on preparing the upcoming NATO Summit in Brussels next week, where we will agree a forward-looking, ambitious agenda on how to further strengthen our Alliance. And I thanked the President for his powerful commitment to the transatlantic bond, to Article Five, and his personal leadership on all these issues. We agree that in a more competitive world, we need to strengthen NATO. And we face security challenges, which no Ally can face alone. So therefore, we need to stand together in NATO.

The NATO 2030 agenda, which NATO leaders will agree when we meet in Brussels at the NATO Summit next week, it's an ambitious agenda. And this is about strengthening our collective defense, it is about strengthening our resilience, it is about sharpening our technological edge, and it is also about working more closely with like-minded partners. To do all these we need to invest more, and that's exactly what we are doing. Over the last seven years, we have seen that across Europe and Canada, all Allies are now investing more. And I think this demonstrates a commitment to stand together, North America and Europe. And European Allies and Canada have added 260 billion extra for their defense spending, since 2014.

A strong NATO is good for Europe, but it's also good for the United States. No other major power has so many friends and allies, as the United States has in NATO. So I look forward to welcoming President Biden to Brussels. We had a very good discussion, and I look forward to having him and all the other NATO leaders at the NATO Summit in a few days’ time.

[Question inaudible]

Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg
We also discussed Russia, and we agree on the dual track approach, meaning deterrence, defense and dialogue with Russia. I welcome the fact that President Biden will meet all the NATO leaders before he meets President [Putin] a few days after. I welcome the extension of the New START Agreement. And NATO Allies have been, and still are, on the forefront of global arms control and nuclear arms control, and we discussed the importance of arms control and also talking with Russia. Dialogue with Russia is not a sign of weakness. We are strong, we are united, and then we can talk to Russia and we need to talk to Russia partly to strive for a better relationship. But even if we don't believe in a better relationship with Russia, we need to manage a difficult relationship with Russia. Arms control, transparency, risk reductions, all of these issues are important – [inaudible]

[Question inaudible]

Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg
Well, China is also an issue that was addressed during the meeting with the President. It will also be an issue that is addressed when the NATO leaders meet next Monday. And what we see is that, of course, the rise of China poses some opportunities for our economies, for trade, and we need to talk to China on issues like--and engage with China, on issues like climate change, on arms control. At the same time, China will soon have the biggest economy in the world, they already have the second largest defense budget, the biggest Navy, they're investing heavily in advanced military capabilities, and they don't share our values. We see that in the way they crack down on democratic protests in Hong Kong, how they deal with minorities, the Uighurs, and how they coerce neighbors and how they threaten Taiwan. So we need to stand up for the rules-based international order, and we need to work more closely with partners including in the Asia Pacific, Australia, New Zealand, South Korea and Japan. And I expect this will be an issue that will be addressed –

[Question inaudible]

NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg
I think the biggest challenge is that we live in a much more unpredictable world. And we see much more global competition. So we need to be prepared for a wide range of different challenges and threats, at the same time. A more assertive Russia, responsible for aggressive actions against neighbors. China coercing neighbors and investing heavily in new military capabilities. Cyber threats. We see more sophisticated and frequent cyberattacks against NATO Allies, including as we have seen here in the United States recently. So it is this fact that we have a much more complex and unpredictable security environment that makes it even more important to have strong international institutions. In an age of global competition, we need to strengthen NATO, and that was the message from the President, and that's the message from me, and that will be the message from all NATO –

[Question inaudible]

Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg
This Summit will be a strong demonstration of transatlantic unity, of Europe and North America standing together in NATO. Because we are stronger, we are safer together, in a more unpredictable world. A strong NATO is good for Europe, but it's also good for the United States, and I look forward to sending that clear message when all the NATO leaders meet in a few days’ time.

Okay, thank you so much. Thank you.