Speech

Director,
Professor,
Thank you very much for the introduction.
I’ll send it to my monologue in the future, I need the video.

Kidding, it is great to be back in Slovakia, it is great to be back in beautiful Bratislava.
Since I became Secretary General now last year, I have visited your neighbours in Hungary and in Poland.
So it was time, it was about time to make an official visit to your fantastic country.

It is an honour for me to speak at your prestigious university, named after the father of modern education, John Amos Comenius.
Like so many of the great minds of the 17th century, he was ahead of his time.
He believed in universal education, and that education for all could promote peace and unity among people and nations.

And I feel a connection with Comenius.
His last 14 years, amongst his most active and productive, were spent in my own country, in the Netherlands.

He lived and worked in Amsterdam, and he called it “the jewel of cities, the glory of the Low Countries, the joy of Europe.”
I personally have never looked at Amsterdam in that way, but I think he’s right.

Schools are named after him across The Netherlands, including in my home town, The Hague.
And my old university, Leiden, awards Comenius grants.

Comenius was forced from Moravia into exile because of conflict, the brutal Thirty Years’ War.
We all know that throughout history conflict has scarred this continent.

Preventing war is what we work for every day in NATO.
And the theme for our discussion today is,
“Building Stronger Defences: The Path to Securing Our Future.”

I personally, went to university during the Cold War, but I saw it end.
Thanks to democracies standing strong in NATO.

The countries of Central and Eastern Europe were forced to join the Warsaw Pact and back the Soviet Union.
When the Iron Curtain fell, those same countries joined NATO voluntarily.
We welcomed Slovakia into our family in 2004.
And we are all safer and more secure as a result. 

NATO’s policy of enlargement has been one of the great success stories of our time.
Alongside the enlargement of the European Union, it has helped to erase many of the painful dividing lines on our continent. 
And bring us much closer to the longstanding goal of a Europe whole, free and at peace.

While NATO got us through the Cold War, we have a hot war raging just next door.
We all want the fighting in Ukraine to stop as soon as possible.
And that we have a lasting peace, a durable peace.

We have all seen what Russia is capable of.
Russia’s economy is now on a war footing.
It is rebuilding its forces much faster than expected.
And it has teamed up with China, with North Korea and with Iran.

As you know, there are lots of talks these days on how to end this war, what are the security guarantees that would be needed and how to ensure lasting peace in Europe.
But even when the war in Ukraine ends, danger will not disappear.
Security is under threat here in Europe, and around the world.
We must be prepared for intense global competition.
China continues to challenge our interests, security and values. 

NATO can defend today, but that is not a given in five years’ time.
In a more volatile and dangerous world, we must invest more in our own security.
We must do this to prevent conflict and protect our way of life.

Two thirds of NATO Allies now spend 2% of their GDP on defence. 
And it is great that Slovakia is among them.
Together we are making progress, but during the Cold War Allies had to spend far north of 3% to keep them safe.

We are spending more and doing more in NATO today.
But we are nowhere near where we need to be.

We need rapid and we need radical change.
NATO is strong, but we need to be even stronger.
We have robust plans in place to defend the Alliance.
But to implement them in full, we must have more resources, we must have more forces and we must have more capabilities.

The new American administration has been very clear about its commitment to NATO. And about its expectation for all Allies to carry their share of the burden.
And I think that is only fair.

We don’t just need to spend more.
We also need to ramp up our defence production.
So that our militaries have what they need to protect us.
And to deter anyone from even thinking about attacking us.

We need a quantum leap in our collective defence.
But why does it matter to students like you?
Because security is the foundation of everything.
That is, why it matters.
Education, opportunity and prosperity.
Without peace, progress is impossible.

I know from my time as Prime Minister of Netherlands, that there are difficult debates when deciding budgets, prioritising resources, and allocating more funds for defence.

We all want better schools, universities and hospitals.
But we also have to invest to defend what is important to us.
Because when there is insecurity and instability, economies and societies suffer.

At the beginning of NATO in 1949, we had 12 Allies.
Today we are 32.
So we must be doing something right…
Slovakia does not stand alone, and it will never stand alone in NATO.

Today I went to see the NATO forces stationed in Slovakia to protect you, and the Alliance.
There are soldiers deployed here from the other side of Europe, from Spain and Portugal.
And friends closer to home are here too, Czechia and Slovakia –Slovenia and Slovakia.
They all stand shoulder to shoulder with forces of this beautiful country.
And you have the entire Alliance behind you.

I know that as I speak to you today, I am speaking to the future of Slovakia and therefore, the future of Europe.
You represent the next generation of leaders, thinkers, and innovators.
You will shape the policies, the technologies and ideas that will define your future.
And keep me safe, at old age.

And a strong NATO means a secure future.
Where you can study, work and build a better tomorrow without fear of war.

I urge you all to engage with the challenges of our time, ask the tough questions, and push for solutions.
Whether you pursue careers in defence, diplomacy, technology, or any other field, you are the future.
We need your help to prioritise peace, security and stability.

NATO is here to protect one billion people on both sides of the Atlantic.
Our mission is to protect you, your friends, your families and your future.

Without strong defence, there is no lasting security.
Without security, there is no freedom.
And without freedom, we cannot live our lives the way we want to.

Building security and stability requires commitment.
That means investing more in defence,
standing together,
and remembering that peace is never guaranteed, only protected.

And that is why building stronger defences is the path to securing our future.
And that is what we are doing at NATO.

Thank you for listening, this is only the beginning, because now we will start the conversation.
But first, an applause for my speech.
Thank you.

 

Moderator:

Thank you. So now we have a chance to ask some questions. So if anybody is interested, there are some colleagues with microphones, so just raise your hand. They will come to you and you can ask.

Question:

Yep, thank you very much. I think throughout late last year, there were many news about Russian hybrid attacks on NATO states, especially, I'm talking about like [inaudible] cables in the Baltic Sea, arms factories in Poland, England, Germany and so on. And there wasn't, like, really clear answer to that. I think there were many concerns and talks, but not effective steps to prevent that, and because of this, I think NATO somehow may look slightly defenceless against Russia hybrid attacks and generally. So maybe, maybe it's time to like show that such actions, such attacks, will have their consequences, and that there should be, like, better reaction from NATO, more effort to deal with that and maybe, like, pushing some solutions which include, like, better steps, like that. Thank you.

NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte:

Basically, I agree, that's the short answer, but let me explain a little bit more. So, we were used to call this hybrid, but basically, this is state sponsored terrorism, or at least state sponsored destabilizing campaigns. You mentioned a few examples. They could add a text on the national health service in the United Kingdom, trying to kill the boss of big defence industrial company, and also the jamming of commercial airplanes in the Baltics. So, the first thing we had to do is to acknowledge what we are really seeing here. And it's not hybrid, again, that is state sponsored terrorism, because you have to face the problem in the eye. Secondly, you need to have more information, what is exactly happening. That's what we did. So, we established a few centres within NATO, and when it came, for example, to the undersea cables and critical energy infrastructure in –with Maritime Command in the UK, we have now a centre which is exactly tracing what is happening, but that is only facing it and following and tracing. It's not enough. I think we are really stepping up. And an example of this is what happened in the Christmas days last year, 25th, 26th of December. Again, another undersea cable was cut between Estonia and Finland and General Cavoli, our Supreme Allied Commander, under his responsibility, he launched in what so called activity, basically it is a mission, but when you call it an activity, you do not have to have an agreement of the 32 Allies. So, since I knew this and learned this, we only have activities now and no missions. But this activity is involving many ships, the latest undersea drone technology. And the most important thing is all the information we are getting is that Putin, Vladimir, Vladimir Putin, he hates it. That's exactly what we need. So, we built from now on, in a –if necessary, asymmetrical way to react to these type of things. Of course, we did already in the past, not always visibly. More stuff happened, but we will do it. We will continue doing that. We will do it –do it more visibly. It will be in many times, in an asymmetrical way, because you do not always have to react exactly at the same spot, at the same time as your adversary, your enemy. This long answer to again, tell you, you're totally right, that we are changing our ways.

Moderator:

Okay? Anybody else who wants to ask a question? So, someone at the back and then here and then there.

Question:

Thank you very much, Mr. Secretary General, I would like to –

NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte:

Could you stand up so that we can see you, please, otherwise, great. Could you stand?

Question:

Of course, great. Then I just will read my question. Do you think the insanely high cost for defence equipment is only because we like economy of scale, or is it the greed of the defence contractors and their suppliers part of the problem? Thank you very much.

NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte:

I'm not sure that that is the reason, but you're right, and sometimes it’s costing a very high amount of money, the problem is the price. The problem is the speed. The problem is that many defence companies have to put in place more shifts and more production lines. They are not doing that. They are asking for these 10-year contracts. But you know how it works in democracies, you work from election cycle to election cycle. So I'm telling them, these big industrial companies, you know that the money is there? You know that the amount is there? You are businessmen and women, start investing. Because what we now are seeing is that the countries like Poland and Romania and Estonia are buying Korean defence industry equipment. I think even Slovakia you have bought from. Where was it that we learned today? I mean, I forgot, but also no –outside in NATO. Outside NATO. Now I'm checking my team… Israel, from Israel. And of course, I love Israel. I love Korea. It's all great. But I even love more our 32 Allies. So you're really working on this. This is one of my key priorities, lasting peace in Ukraine, spending more and getting our additional production going. And this is a problem, not only for the European part of NATO, but also for the US, because the US had over 80 big defensive industrial companies. There are only five left, and they are not producing nearly enough. We are producing an ammunition in a full year, in all of NATO, what Russia is producing in three months. And Russia has only 5% of the total NATO economy. So, [inaudible] of NATO is producing in three months what we are producing in a year. Luckily, you in this country have a big potential to again develop your defence industrial base, and you already have some big ammunition production sites, and you are producing a lot of the ammunition, which is now part of the so-called Czech initiative to get ammunition into Ukraine. So you guys are doing a lot, but all of NATO, we have to do much more.

Moderator:

There was somebody asking question there, and then there.

Question:

Hello and thank you for visiting us today, Mr. General Secretary. In recent months, we have observed the –how the United States administration, especially, for example, Vice President of the United States, criticizing Europe for its insufficient contribution to the army. And this raises the question, what methods and principles can NATO use, or what principles can be employed in order to incorporate NATO, in order to prevent a potential disintegration of NATO, and what approach could help strength the unity of NATO and our Allies. Thank you.

NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte:

I can only tell you that this US administration is totally committed to NATO, but they expect us to spend more, and they are right. I mean, watch it. Look out. We were into another [inaudible], we agreed on this famous 2%, nothing happened. Then Trump became president, everybody woke up and we started to spend more. Then the full Russian onslaught on Ukraine happened in 2022, we spent more. So we are now spending 700 billion more, 700 billion more in non-US NATO, than before 2016 so before Trump became president. But it is not enough, again now we have to take a next big step, and I think it will be huge step. We have to decide on this this summer, but I guess we really have to move up to much more than 3%, for you now look at all the gaps we have in our armies and our long-range missiles, in our air defence systems, in our logistics, our military mobility. We have so many issues, and we cannot pay for them with the 2% so it has to be really much more. And I hope that we can get to a conclusion on this in the Hague. And the good news is that if you do that, you would have much more of a fair burden sharing with United States. But I'm absolutely worried –not worried about the US, they're doing what is needed. I'm worried about us, whether we are able to step up. But I'm also optimistic, because all the signals I'm getting now the last two, three months is that the coin has dropped, that people understand this is necessary. Many governments now, like Denmark yesterday, announcing a huge, big new investment, we have seen other –I know some countries will come out with big announcements over the coming weeks, so that is really good, [inaudible] big issues in the German election. So I think they will get there, and it is necessary.

Question:

First of all, thank you very much for coming here, and –

NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte:

Thank you all for being here. Because if I was only here, you were not –

Question:

That’s true, it's really important. So my question basically is more about the technology development of NATO, because now we can see that brave Ukrainian soldiers fighting with the drones, and they are very effective. And do you think that now NATO is –will take this experience, and do you like to develop this, you know, like the drones into the army of the NATO? And how maybe the second question, how, maybe the third-party companies or people who would like to dedicate their life into drone makings can apply to NATO and do these drones by the NATO standards, and know about the drones mostly. Thank you.

NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte:

Well, first of all, on this new technology, the Ukraine war is, of course, giving us a lot of insights in modern warfare, and Ukraine is second to none capable of implementing these latest technologies. The problem is that the Russians only need two or three weeks to catch up. So there is a rapid acceleration going on in terms of applying the newest technologies. We are trying to capture them. So last week in Poland, we opened JATEC. This is the first organization where Ukraine and NATO really work together, capturing all the lessons from the war in Ukraine and making sure we can apply them all over NATO. We know that there is some criticism now going on of countries still buying F-16s and F-35s whether that is still necessary, I think the growing body of opinion is that you need both, and the big platform, F-35 type, big ticket items, but also the latest technology, and how can you make them work in conjunction? Again, the war in Ukraine is giving us a lot of insights of how to do this, and then we have to make sure that these big companies start to work with small start-ups and scale ups –not easy, because a big company has all these internal rules, and typically they would choke off and kill any start-up as soon as they start to merge with a big company. So you have to find ways to make sure that the start-up can survive in that fabric of a big company, in that structure, in the texture. And I think we can. There are many lessons how to do that. So this is all happening at the moment, and in NATO, we are working on that in headquarters in Brussels, a whole team working on innovation, together with the people working on procurement. Obviously, it is something which, in the end, has to be done by the 32 Allies in their own military, in their own procurement programs, etc. But that is happening, so I'm rather optimistic, but we have to keep this going, otherwise we stick with a military system which is stuck in the past, in the 20th century, and we really have to move this to the –to the 21st century, to the, to this decennium and taking all the lessons from Ukraine.

Question:

Hello, thank you for the opportunity. I want to ask you about Kosovo. Since the recent changes in US international policies, there have been rumours that they might pull out their military and abandon their military base. I want to ask your opinion or your thoughts about possible risk of conflict in the area.

NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte:

Well, let me be perfectly clear, everything I'm getting out of your system is that they are totally committed to NATO and their present engagements. So let's see what happens. You might always have changes of policy or small adjustments, that can always happen –the Slovaks, the Dutch and others are also doing this. But I have no reason to believe there will be dramatic announcements, and more generally, on the Western Balkans. We have to be sure that we keep an eye on this, because stability in Kosovo, stability in Bosnia, stability in Serbia, it is in all our interest, as we have had recently elections in Kosovo, I think they have not been finalised in a formal outcome, but it seems that the big, the main party who was basically governing Kosovo on its own before the elections, might need a coalition. Let's see how that plays out. But that is normal political democratic process, forming coalitions. Of course, we know there are certain issues we need to be very watchful of in Bosnia, the relationships in the region. I myself in constant contact with all the main leaders over there. I had opportunity in Munich Security Conference to speak with two out of the three members of the presidency of Bosnia, I will –visit the region in March. So step by step, we really try to maintain stability. And that's important because it is a region which has a history of instability, and luckily, now, for many years, we have a hard, forged stability in that part of Europe, in the Western Balkans, we have to maintain it. Thank you.

Question:

Mr. Secretary. Thank you for coming, given the changes in Syria and the instability in the Middle East as well as the Republic of Turkiye’s ambivalence in geopolitics. Is NATO's southern flank neglected or perhaps put on hold, where the focus is on the east? Thank you.

NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte:

Well, first of all, I would not agree with you on Turkiye. I think Turkiye is a very important Ally, and so far, I've always had the best of exchanges with senior Turkish leadership. Second, of course, when it comes to Syria, the Middle East, NATO is not party to any discussions there. Or if there's a conflict, party to any conflict, it will be individual Allies navigating this situation in the Middle East. But of course, we follow it closely. To your point, and I was in Iraq two weeks ago because we have a NATO mission in Iraq. That's one, and that’s helping them to develop their defence capabilities, and also their Minister of the Interior is making use of all the training facilities we provide there through this NATO mission in Iraq, and we have a Southern Neighbourhood policy. So there is even a Special Representative. I believe even it is my Special Representative, not only NATO's. So my Special Representative to the Global South, and so not to the Global South –to the Southern Neighbourhood, working with the Middle East, working with Northern African countries. We have close cooperation with Jordan, with Egypt, Tunisia, Mauritania, Cabo Verde, and we are expanding that. And why is this important? Because we know that China and Russia are –particularly in Africa, are rapidly trying to extend their influence in that part of the world, and it is important that we stay very much involved, not only because Spain, Portugal and Italy think this is important. I agree with them. It is important, these Allies, I think, are totally spot on here, but it is important for the whole of the Alliance. So that's why we are concentrating very much on that, on that area.

Question:

Okay, I would like to ask, what is your position towards Britain's suggestion to deploy troops in Ukraine, since USA is one of the main players in NATO and they are strongly against this suggestion.

NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte:

The US is not against that suggestion. No, no, no. US has said we do not want US troops on the ground. That is what the US said and but he has also said, everything is on the table. But there was also clear message coming out of the US system that they don't want to have boots on the ground. Now I think there is –really in NATO a large-scale agreement that we need strong security guarantees for Ukraine to go forward after a peace deal. And I know that countries like the Netherlands and Denmark and the UK and France are thinking what that could be. That was why we had a meeting in Paris on Monday, and there was another meeting yesterday, and there will be more meetings coming up, I think, to coordinate the European support for a peace deal in Ukraine. I myself optimistic about President Trump's initiative. Of course, it is still early stage, but I think it is important that he started this peace initiative now with the Russians, but we all agree also that we have to make sure that for any peace deal going forward, there have to be strong security guarantees. We also agree that strong security guarantees, if provided by European countries, needs a backup by the United States, not with boots on the ground, but we still need generally back up from the US to make sure that the deterrence is there, but also because the US provides certain capabilities, again, not with boots on the ground, but necessary to make it possible for European countries to help there, so that help process is now taking place, and I'm very glad that takes place, because last week in Munich, during the security conference, many Europeans were whining and angry that they were not involved and why were we not at the table. But luckily now they started to coordinate amongst themselves. So that is important, and being positively engaged in this American peace initiative, but I think that is necessary, and Europe can add a lot here. So I've been myself in constant contact with all the senior leaders in the US, Zelenskyy yesterday, also European leaders in Paris and through other ways and phone calls, a lot is happening to make sure that a peace deal can be backed up by strong security guarantees. Because we have to make sure that whenever there is a peace deal on Ukraine that it is lasting, that it is enduring, as Pete Hegseth, said, the former US Secretary of State of defence –sorry, the new Secretary of State of defence of the US has said last week, it should not be a Minsk-3, it has to be lasting, and then you need security guarantees.

Question:

Thank you very much. I have a question more targeted towards the future. So how do you see the possible future expansion or enlargement of NATO, especially when considering countries such as Ukraine or Georgia? Thank you very much.

NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte:

In the end, it is the sovereign right of countries, somehow within the northern Atlantic, I mean, if it is New Zealand, it's a bit difficult because it's not part of the northern Atlantic. By the way, we have a strong cooperation with New Zealand, Australia, Japan and Korea. The IP4 countries, of course, they will not become members, as they are not part of the Euro Atlantic, but countries within the Euro Atlantic who want to join can make that known. And then there is a whole process in place, step by step to potentially make that happen. In the end, that's up to each of these countries. And I can only repeat, I said before that Russia has no vote or veto on who joins NATO. Only when they themselves want to join NATO, then they have a vote or the veto. But I've not seen that application recently, so I don't think that will happen. But and on Ukraine, that's very much on the table. I mean, it was decided in Washington that there is this irreversible path of Ukraine to become a member of NATO, but to be honest, to the US, having said, we don't want to be part of a peace process now, it was not promised to Ukraine that it will be part of a peace deal, so we have to see how these peace talks end. But there's no automaticity. But we have agreed on Ukraine becoming in the future a member of NATO.

Moderator:

There's somebody right at the back.

Question:

Thank you very much. [speaking Dutch]

NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte:

[speaking Dutch] Are you Dutch? How you end up here?

Question:

I'm an exchange student from the Netherlands.

NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte:

Fantastic, and why did you decide for this fantastic institution?

Question:

I don't know. I want to go to Eastern. Well, Central Europe, because I have lived in Western... I'm sorry, everyone, Central Europe. Central Europe. Central Europe. I'm sorry. I've lived in Western Europe all my life. And I'm very interested in European Union, and I want to know what life is here.

NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte:

Great. How long are you here now?

Question:

Two weeks.

NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte:

Two weeks. Okay, so you have only 30 days’ worth of experience of living in here.

Question:

So it's really, really cool to see you here. Well ex, Mr. Prime Minister, I have a question. It's a bit of a hypothetical one, but in the news, you see that Zelenskyy and Trump are a bit arguing. Trump called Zelenskyy a dictator. Do you think it's likely that Trump will make a deal with Putin without Ukraine support, and if Ukraine doesn't support it, what should the European Union do next? In your opinion. Thank you.

NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte:

Well, of course, Ukraine has to be part, and will be part, and the US has said this, of peace negotiations, because this is about their country. So I'm really not worried there, they will be part of that. But it only started, I mean, a couple of days ago. So it is such –so early stage, and I have confidence in the team, in the US negotiating this. But no doubt Ukraine will be involved in these talks, absolutely.

Question:

Thank you. So I would like to ask a question, if is it possible that Slovakia would be excluded from closer negotiations because of our pro-Russian government in the case if needed to do so.

NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte:

Will be excluded from what?

Question:

From negotiations, some closer negotiations in NATO.

NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte:

Let me perfectly make perfectly clear, in NATO and in the EU you do not always agree. In the end, you do agree. It takes time, sometimes you negotiate, etc, but many countries will start from many different points of view, and then you will regularly come together. Slovakia has one of the most integrated, I think the most integrated country compared –bit the same, like the Netherlands, you are part of the EU, Schengen, eurozone, NATO, you are actively participating in all those formats and structures, highly respected. So I don't think that worry is wanted. No, not at all.

Question:

Good afternoon, Secretary General, as a Ukrainian, in the context of game theory…

NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte:

[interrupting] You're Ukrainian?

Question:

Yes. In the court –I'm interested, especially in the context of game theory in political science, how does NATO assess the ongoing war in Ukraine as a strategic interaction between Russia, NATO and Ukraine? Specifically, how do you evaluate the payoff structures and potential Nash equilibria is a scenario considering this and deterrence strategies?

NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte:

Of course, NATO is not part of the conflict, but NATO, through the command in Wiesbaden, is coordinating the training and the military equipment coming into Ukraine, and through JATEC, the centre in Poland, collectively, we're capturing all the lessons, but it's up to individual Allies and countries outside NATO bilaterally with Ukraine coming to security agreements. I mean, my country and many other countries have drawn up bilateral security agreements with Ukraine. And I think that is very much very important. But to your question, of course, it is first of all, an unprovoked Russian onslaught on your country, starting in 14 and then the full-scale war breaking out, next Monday, three years ago, with hundreds of thousands of people on both sides of the border killed, seriously wounded. It is unbelievably sad when you think about it, and so many beautiful cities in Ukraine being seriously damaged and having to be rebuilt. So the cost of all of this is enormous, but it is your country fighting for its survival, and for its sovereignty, that is between you and Russia. But you also have to acknowledge that Russia is working with others, with North Korea, with China and with Iran. So when a peace deal is reached on Ukraine, let's make sure that one Xi Jinping, the first Secretary of the Communist Party of China, will be watching this and will be interested in the outcome, and if it is a weak deal for the West, he might think of some next steps himself in the Indo-Pacific. So all the theatres as so-called Euro Atlantic and Indo-Pacific, they are more and more connected.

Question:

Sir, can you give me one more question?

NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte:

You have the microphone, so you have the power.

Question:

What advice would you give to the future generation of Ukrainian leaders?

NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte:

Well, first of all, I –it's not up to me. I can only say I have the highest respect for what Ukraine is doing and enduring. You have, from day one, been fighting where Putin would think in three or four days you would have to give in to him, and you didn't. You fought back. You were able to capture back large parts of the country Putin originally was able to capture in February 2022, we all remember that famous video President Zelenskyy made when he was offered a ride to Poland to get to safety, and that he said, "I don't need a ride, I need ammunition.” And then he came out of the presidential palace saying, "I'm here with the Prime Minister, the Defence minister, the Chief of the military, myself, the President, we are all here. And that was a rally call, I think, to the whole of Ukraine, and one of the most moving short clips I have ever seen, in all its simpleness, extremely effective because it showed the leadership, not only of the senior leaders in Ukraine, but also of the general population, but for the young people in Ukraine. I mean, I wish for you this war to end as soon as possible, and then you will have to rebuild the country, but you will have so many stories to share about how proud soldiers and proud citizens have withstood this Russian onslaught, that I hope you will be very proud that you will share those stories, and they will go down to generations, and of course, that you will build your future and will have happy lives and really be integrated, as you wish, in the Euro Atlantic structures like the EU and NATO. I really wish that for your country.

Moderator:

We will take one more question.

NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte:

Are you also from the Netherlands?

Question:

No, but my sister lives in the Netherlands. She found a Dutch guy. Do you think that increasing the contribution of the countries might lead to their withdrawal from NATO, especially considering the misinformation campaigns?

NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte:

I missed the first half of the question because the microphone was a bit too high.

Question:

If you think that increasing the contribution of the countries might lead to their withdrawal from NATO?

NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte:

No, I don't think any country will withdraw from NATO, why would I mean, we are collective defence. We are the strongest, the most powerful defence corporation in the world's history. I mean, yeah, if you want to withdraw, you can, this is a democratic organization. Nobody will stop you. But I've not spoken to any leader who wants to leave NATO. No, people want to join. Countries want to join. Nobody wants to leave, but being in NATO, we have to make sure that it is not one paying more than the rest. And at the moment, of course, what we see is that the US is about a little bit more than 50% of overall NATO economy, but it's paying much more than 50% of the overall NATO defence spending. And we see some countries on the Eastern flank, like Lithuania and Latvia and Estonia, but also Poland really ramping up now defence spending. We see other countries now rapidly following, like Sweden and Denmark. I'm hearing some encouraging signals from other countries, maybe even yours, here in Slovakia, but not up to me to make any announcements.

But that gives me hope that we will get to a much higher number to reach with a credible time path at The Hague summit to decide on that, and not because Donald Trump wants this, yes, also because he is right that America should have a fair deal, but because we want to protect ourselves, and we know, as I said in my short introductory remarks, we cannot defend ourselves going forward, given the rapid ramp-up of defence spending and production in Russia. So we have to do it, and we all have to do it to make sure that we maintain our deterrence, that he will never, ever try again to capture one square mile or kilometre of Ukraine, but also not to capture any square mile, kilometre of any NATO country, whenever he would wish so. That he knows that he has [inaudible] the full onslaught of all of us on Russia, and therefore we have to remain strong, and that is why we need more spending. Please help me there. Tell your politicians to do this. Tell your banks and pension funds that they can invest in defence. I really need you as ambassadors here. That's why I'm here. I mean, you thought I was here for you. No, you were here for me. You are from now all my ambassadors to make this happen. And thank you for that. I appreciate it.

Moderator:

Thank you very much for joining us here. Thank everybody for coming. I'm really thankful that you provided a sense of reassurement to many people.

NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte:

And urgency, I hope!

Moderator:

Definitely, I know there are many people from Ukraine in the audience, and I think they really appreciate your reassurement. So thank you so much for joining us. Thank you for linking in your speech, Jan Amos Comenius, and we really appreciate that you really mentioned him and we'd just like to ask you to do a signature in our guest book before we say goodbye.