Press conference

Good afternoon.
We have just concluded two very productive days of meetings, covering a wide range of issues. 

Allies heard a very clear message from Secretary Rubio about US commitment to NATO, and also a very clear expectation that Europe and Canada must take more responsibility for our shared security and continue to ramp up defence spending.

The consensus from the discussions these two days is that as the world grows more dangerous, we need NATO more than ever. 
And we are united in our commitment to each other in this Alliance.

That commitment is not only principled – based on common values and shared history.
It is deeply practical. 
We face real threats to our security – the most direct from Russia.
But also from others, state and non-state. In the High North, from the South, on the Eastern flank, and in cyberspace.
Whatever the challenges we face, we need to make sure that we have the forces and capabilities necessary to deter aggression. 
And defend ourselves should anyone make the mistake of attacking.

So we will invest more. Much more. As so many Allies have already begun to do.
We will produce more, and more quickly.
All over the Alliance, we will work to cut red tape and reduce barriers to efficient defence industrial production.
In order to meet the very real demand for more defence capabilities.

Over the last two days we met among Allies and with partners.
We were joined by our Indo-Pacific partners – Australia, Japan, New Zealand, and the Republic of Korea. 
The security of the Indo-Pacific and the Euro-Atlantic is more connected than ever before. 
The war against Ukraine is but one example of this as China, North Korea, and Iran continue to support Russia’s war machine. 
This poses risks to us all.

But we are attentive to those risks. 
And determined to ensure we are equipped to address them.
So we continue to strengthen our ties, including on defence industrial cooperation. 
Ministers discussed this yesterday – affirming how important it is that we continue to deepen NATO’s partnerships in the region.
And I will travel to Japan next week to do just that. 

We also met in the NATO-Ukraine Council with Ukraine’s Foreign Minister, Andrii Sybiha.
He gave us an update on the situation on the ground. 
Allies assured him of their continued support for Ukraine in its fight today and to help build up its armed forces for the future.
And we discussed the important talks that the US is leading with Ukraine as well as with Russia to try to bring the war to a just and lasting end.

We support the push for peace. 
And Allies – including through efforts spearheaded by France and the UK – have shown that they are ready, willing and able to shoulder more responsibility in helping to secure a peace when the time comes.
 
NATO itself continues to provide political and practical support for Ukraine. 
Through our command in Wiesbaden, our office in Ukraine, and more. 
And as announced on Wednesday, in the first three months of 2025, NATO Allies have pledged more than 20 billion euros in security assistance for Ukraine. 
So our commitment is clear.

We were also joined last night and again this morning by the EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, Kaja Kallas. 
And we discussed how we can work together to boost defence spending and ramp up defence production. Kaja Kallas briefed Allies on the White Paper for European Defence Readiness 2030.
The transatlantic relationship remains the cornerstone of European security and of global stability. And the inclusion of non-EU Allies will remain essential.
But we should build on this unique opportunity to strengthen NATO-EU cooperation even further. We all stand to gain by working together.

And finally, as some of you may know, today is NATO’s anniversary.
Seventy-six years ago, twelve countries came together to sign the treaty that created this Alliance.
Through the years, working together, Allies have delivered security through strength. 
From all I heard during the last two days, we are well on track to continue delivering well into the future.

And with that, I am ready to take your questions.
 

Allison Hart, Acting NATO Spokesperson: BBC.

Jonathan Beale, BBC: Jonathan Beale, BBC. First of all, I know tariffs isn't NATO's bailiwick, but it is something that's come up at the meeting. China's just announced it's introducing retaliatory tariffs against the US after their imposition of tariffs. A lot of Allies are worried about it. You want Allies to spend more on defence. I mean, it is not helpful - is it? - that the Trump administration has done this, and are you worried that it will impact countries’ ability to spend money? And just secondly, on Ukraine, a lot of Allies are worried that Russia is dragging its feet. Some Allies think that there should be a deadline for President Putin to show that he is serious about ending the war in Ukraine. Would you like a deadline? And what would that deadline be?

Mark Rutte, NATO Secretary General: Thank you. Yes, on the first question. As you know, I am, we are here NATO. But also, the meeting we had the last two days is absolutely focused, laser-focused on making sure that we keep NATO territory safe, that we realize that there is one long-term and enduring, unpleasantly enduring threat, and that is Russia. And that is what our focus has to be about. So that's why I'm not commenting about the tariffs, as you already...[inaudible] Yes, you're right, and that refers to Article Two of the Washington Treaty. But even then, we have seen in the past that you will have discussions between members of the Alliance on other issues than defence, which will not immediately impact the capability and the ability of Allies to deliver on the common defence and security. So I think these two are really separate. We should keep them separate, and should not get them to interfere in our discussions. And well, the second question, I mean, as I said yesterday, the American administration, President Trump, they broke the deadlock. They started the discussions. I think they have done so step-by-step in a very forceful but also very deliberate manner. And that means that, obviously, now the ball is in the Russian court. So we have to see what happens. But I do not want to interfere in those talks by having my comments from Brussels, to which they then have to react. So we will see how this will develop. So far, I must say, I'm really impressed how the Americans are conducting those talks, and also about the fact that they keep the Europeans and Ukraine - Ukraine, obviously, because they're very much involved, it is their country - but also the European Allies very much updated of what they are doing and what is happening.

Allison Hart, Acting NATO Spokesperson: All right, woman in the red blazer here.

Iryna Prokofieva, 1+1 TV: Mr. Secretary General, thank you for this opportunity. During these days, we have heard from you support for lasting peace for Ukraine, but actually, we still do not understand about what this concept means. In your view, how does NATO see the peace for Ukraine, and who should insurance it, and how?

Mark Rutte, NATO Secretary General: Well, obviously, there is no peace in Ukraine, yet, that is exactly the problem, and the Americans are trying to get peace in Ukraine in a way that it is fair, that it is enduring. And the shortest answer to your question is that Putin will never, ever try again to get one square kilometre or one square mile of Ukraine in the future. That he knows that there is a deterrence and defence by which Ukraine can never be attacked in the future. When you look at NATO and more generally, Allies. What we are doing is providing Ukraine what they need to stay in the fight, and that is an enormous amount of defence support into Ukraine, defence equipment, including ammunition, and we have the Czech initiative - on ammunition -. We have the Danish and Lithuanian initiatives on developing, even inside Ukraine, their own defence industrial base, where they still have a lot of capacity left, which, with the right investment, can be, can be used and made available for both Ukraine, but also for allies, maybe to even buy into their defence industrial base in the future - so these are very positive developments -, but also direct deliveries of Panzerhaubitze, of ammunition, of tanks, of air defence systems, into Ukraine. So that's one. Second is that, of course, with Ukraine - and we know that the French and the Brits will take an initiative here, but NATO is, of course, also involved -, we can help to build up the Ukrainian forces. We just opened in Poland the JATEC, which is a centre, where we will capture all the lessons learned in Ukraine. We have the Command in Wiesbaden, which is very much involved in all the training activities when it comes to making sure that the Ukrainian army is, in the future, capable to defend itself, but also when it comes to making sure that all the defence industrial deliveries are done in such a way that they can be of maximum use to Ukraine. And we have the pledge - the 20 billion, now over the first three months rolling in, of euros -. So all of this is what we are doing to make sure Ukraine can stay in the fight, and if ever there is a peace deal, that they can stay safe in the future. And there is the French and British initiative to build an extra layer of support post a peace deal. But unfortunately, there is not yet a peace deal. There is not even a ceasefire, and the Americans are working day and night to get that going.

Allison Hart, Acting NATO Spokesperson: All right. Thomas the third row, blue blazer.

Thomas Gutschker, FAZ: Thanks for the question. Thomas Gutschker, FAZ. Good afternoon, Secretary General. I have to press you again on the trade and tariff issue that Jonathan raised. This evidently, is not a minor trade dispute between the US and its Allies. It's something that has been called in this very building by participating Foreign Ministers, a full-fledged trade war against them by their most important Ally. You've pointed yourself to Article Two, in which - of the Washington Treaty -, in which Allies pledged that they will seek, I quote, “to eliminate conflict in their international economic policies”. So given all this, can you really say, and does it really make sense for NATO to keep out of this when there's a threat of a global recession that will have a severe impact on Allies being able to rearm?

Mark Rutte, NATO Secretary General: First of all there's clearly a difference in remit, in scope of the jobs of a Foreign Minister and of my role. Foreign Ministers, of course, are focused on, yes, defence, and that's what we discussed here the last two days at NATO. But they are also, of course, very much focused on the broader international relations, bilateral and multilateral, of their respective countries, and that's why it is totally acceptable and logical that they comment on these terms. My role is deeply focusing on the defence of NATO territory, and that is why I'm not commenting on other things than directly related to the defence of NATO, the Euro-Atlantic, and of course, when it comes to the Indo-Pacific, pointing to the fact that these theatres get more intertwined and interconnected. When it comes to Article Two, I don't think this is in breach of Article Two. No, I don't think so. We have seen in the past many examples of differences of view, of fights over tariffs. This has happened before without that being in violation of Article Two.

Allison Hart, Acting NATO Spokesperson: All right, the man in the centre with the blue tie, second row.

Nashaat Eldeehy, Ten TV: Are there any future plans to include the new members to NATO from the Middle East, North Africa, Pacific? Is it possible to cooperate in the establishment of military industries with the important countries in the Middle East, such as Egypt and Morocco?

Mark Rutte, NATO Secretary General: When it comes to the second part of your question, the answer is yes, we do have cooperation with what we call the Southern neighbourhood. We even have a Special Representative. I, Secretary General, have a Special Representative for the Southern Neighbourhood, and we work closely together, for example, with Egypt, but also with Mauritania, Tunisia, Jordan and other countries. And that is very much focused on how can we help for them to develop their defence system, their security apparatus etc…, like they are doing in Iraq through the NATO Mission in Iraq, on the request of Iraq. That doesn't mean that we will enlarge NATO and skip the ‘N’ and the ‘A’ in abbreviation the North Atlantic, and make it into a sort of watered down general Treaty Organization. It will stay very much focused on the North Atlantic and on the Euro-Atlantic area. That's just 32 Allies we have, and you can join if you are part of that geography. But again, with the South, we have close cooperation. We have obviously in the Pacific, Japan and Korea and Australia, New Zealand. We have it also in other parts of the world, and that is really important. We learn from them. We can also develop our defence industrial base together - and something I will discuss next week in Japan, very, very high on the agenda -. So there are many opportunities there. Thank you.

Allison Hart, Acting NATO Spokesperson: All right. Fourth row woman in the centre. I know I'm challenging our men with the mics.

Sachiyo Sugita, NHK:  Sachiyo Sugita, NHK, the public TV station in Japan. Thank you. I was wondering the US had said that, at NATO this time, they would be discussing the shared threat of China to the Alliance that the Alliance faces. Does NATO also agree that China is a threat and not a challenge anymore? And also another question on your visit to Japan next week. Could you elaborate a little bit more on the expectations you have towards the cooperation of the defence industry?

Mark Rutte, NATO Secretary General: Well, personally, I think you could see increasingly China as a threat, but I think in the official NATO language, it's not named like that. But when you look at the build-up of the defence industrial base in China, when you look at the fact that they have now more NATO ships sailing than the US, that they will go in to 1,000 nuclear warheads by 2030, it's absolutely clear that we cannot be naïve about China. We cannot be naïve about China, and that's the reason why we work so intensely together with, indeed, Japan and Korea, but also Australia, New Zealand. And the importance now is that we that we deepen that cooperation. In the past, it was also the meeting is the message. The fact that we are here together, working together, in itself is the message, but that we are getting more and more flesh on the bones now in terms of exchanging insights on innovation; on getting new insights to the battlefield, where it is necessary. We learn a lot from what is happening now, unfortunately, in Ukraine, but we have to capture those lessons. We can share that with our partners, and we learn from what Japan and others are doing in the Pacific with their exercises, and we are really trying to build on this shared defence industrial base. We know that many Allies already buying hugely, largely, into the Korean defence industry. So we have that, that connection, and I think that is very valid.

Allison Hart, Acting NATO Spokesperson: all right. Teri here in the second row.

Teri Schultz, NPR: Hi, Mr. Secretary General. I won't talk about tariffs, because obviously that's so separate. But the GDP that you are expecting Allies to use to buy these new weapons to ramp up their defence spending is the same GDP that is going to be affected by these measures. So how can you expect these things to take place at the same time? You can't separate them. And we had Ministers come out and tell us we are worried that the money we would have spent on defence will now be spent on inflation. So that is your problem.

Mark Rutte, NATO Secretary General: Obviously, national governments have to make their decisions, and politics is making choices in scarcity. There is always, there are always more things you want to spend the money on than there is money. And it is always, it can always be an issue that the money you expected to be there is not there because of inflation or because of the fact that the GDP is not growing like you expected in the past, or what forecasts were etc. But that is what national politics and politicians have to navigate, and that's what they are doing. And I don't think I'm helping this Alliance by commenting on something, which is not really part of Alliance policy, and that is to make sure that we can defend ourselves.

Allison Hart, Acting NATO Spokesperson: Alright, let's go up to the back.

Joshua Yaffa, The New Yorker: Hi. You mentioned that you were impressed by how the United States is conducting negotiations with Russia. I wanted to ask about a discrepancy between the position that you and others at NATO have voiced and that in which Trump and his officials have given regarding those negotiations. You, other NATO officials on background these days, have said you don't see Russia as engaging credibly, honestly, genuinely with the negotiation process, not being honest as a part in those negotiations. Also, regardless even of what happens in Ukraine, Russia continues to be a significant, the most significant long-term security threat to NATO in the US. Trump, his lead negotiator, Witkoff, have said statements suggesting the exact opposite that Russia, Putin himself, are interested in peace, engaging genuinely incredibly in the negotiation process, and also that they do not see Russia as a long-term security threat, but rather potentially a partner in all sorts of productive and fruitful deals to be done. Can you acknowledge this discrepancy between your position and that of the Trump administration, and what does it suggest for the future of NATO cohesion?

Mark Rutte, NATO Secretary General:  I'm not sure it is an entirely fair assessment of the position of the US administration, but let me start from a different angle. When, when President Trump came in, the war was not developing in the right direction. We saw the front line moving from the east to the west, and we want the front line to move from the west to the east. It wasn't. The Russians were very slowly and against a lot of people dying or getting seriously wounded on their side, and, by the way, also the Ukrainian side, but they were making very slow progress. And we know that many, many people have died or are seriously injured because of this war. We know that some cities have been destroyed. The whole, whole infrastructures have been destroyed. So, for President Trump coming in to say, I want to do the utmost to bring this war to a just and lasting end, I think, is commendable. And that's what I'm saying. And they're working tirelessly, tirelessly to do that.  For NATO it's clear.  For the whole of NATO, Russia is the long-term threat, even if this war will come to an end. Let's not be naive about Russia. Nobody is naive about Russia.  But when it comes to ending the war, I think it is important that the Americans are trying this, working closely with the Ukrainians, informing and updating constantly the Europeans. The French and the Brits coming up for very practical suggestions on the next steps, if we would get to a ceasefire or a peace deal. And I think this is exactly how the Alliance should function, working together, trying to get things done.  Making sure, and acknowledging, that this is not only a European conflict, but with China and North Korea and Iran being involved here, supporting Russia's war effort, it's onslaught on Ukraine.  And that it is really a global issue, and that in the end, there is a, as I said before, there is an audience of one watching all of this. This is First Secretary of the Communist Party of China, Xi Jinping. And he wants to know at the end, who comes out on top? Is it the West, or is it Russia? And if it is Russia, it will give him thoughts about what he could do in his region, because he also has some territorial claims which he might want them to entertain.

Allison Hart, Acting NATO Spokesperson:  All right, we'll stay in that part of the room. See, we've got the gentleman who I can't see behind the cameras, but I did see your hand earlier.

Rob Harris, Sydney Morning Herald: Rob Harris from the Sydney Morning Herald, just back on China. We've seen reports in the past few weeks that basically, Russia wouldn't be able to continue the war against Ukraine, without China's help. Not lethal aid, but you know, with goods on the battlefield. What is your message to China in regards to its continual cooperation? And secondly, if I can indulge you on a personal matter, families of the civil of the victims of MH 17 have pressed for an admission and an apology to, regarding MH 17, as part of any peace deal. And I was wondering if you can offer a view on that.

Mark Rutte, NATO Secretary General: Well, on the first question, when it comes to China, let's be totally clear about this. We know that they help and support the Russians warfare through war effort, through sanction circumvention, through delivery of dual use goods. So they are an integral part of the war effort, and now North Korea sending its soldiers to Europe to fight a war here. We know that the Russians are repaying them, not only with money, but also with technology, which, in the end, is also posing a threat to the United States, and to the whole of NATO territory and to the Indo Pacific.
Iran involved, very much involved in getting money from the Russians, by which they then can stir up even more trouble in the Middle East, as Iranians love to do, through (inaudible) directly and through their proxies in Lebanon, and so, through their proxies in Gaza and Lebanon. So this is really a global issue. Let's not forget it. And when it comes to MH 17, this is very close to my heart, and many in my country and in Australia. Because, as you know, Australia was the second hardest hit country with many people dying in the, in MH 17, in in that terrible disaster on the 17th of July, 2014.  196 from my country, and that means that I'm now not in the national government. But this is clearly a position the Dutch government has always stated, and I have no reason to think that has changed.

Allison Hart, Acting NATO Spokesperson:  Alright. Second row in the back.

Sabine Siebold, Reuters: Thank you. Sabine Siebold with Reuters. Sec Gen, you said Russia is still seen as a threat to the alliance, but NATO, in its 2022 Strategic Concept, actually stated that Russia is the greatest threat to the alliance’s security. Does NATO, including the United States, still stand united behind this assessment?

Mark Rutte, NATO Secretary General: Absolutely, and it was reconfirmed in Washington in 2024.

Allison Hart, Acting NATO Spokesperson:  20:29 
Right, just behind, Olena.

Olena Abramovich, Radio Free Europe: Olena Abramovich, Radio Free Europe, Ukrainian service and Current Time TV. Thank you for the floor. Secretary General, you mentioned many times these days about 20 billions in three months, but some of those pledges are actually for three years. Are you still sure that Ukraine will get in 2025 the support, which is not less than in (2025), 2024, sorry. And one more thing, we've heard a lot last year, you saying that Ukraine should be at the negotiation table at the strongest possible position. I haven't heard this in last couple of days. Has your position changed regarding that? Thank you.

 

Mark Rutte, NATO Secretary General: No, let me reconfirm that. They have to be in the strongest possible position. That is why the pledge is so important. Yes, the pledge does not mean always that all that money is immediately spent. For example, some of that money, take the fact that Norway, I think, is up to 8 billion euros, has now pledged to Ukraine. And a large part of that money will be used, as far as I understand. But we should check that maybe together after we end this presser. But I think a certain extent of that money is being pledged to invest in the defence industrial base in Ukraine. So that means that you will not only always immediately have from that money the translation into practical defence equipment, but that is also the case for previous pledges. So you will now see coming in what comes out of the previous pledges in terms of some unavoidable delays. But what I'm hearing also from our Polish colleagues and other colleagues who are basically working on the logistics getting everything into Ukraine, is that the amount of shipments into Ukraine is still, is still very big and necessary. Because we want you to be indeed, in the best possible position.

Allison Hart, Acting NATO Spokesperson: All right, the man here in the third, second row.

Sergei Sidorenko, Ukraine European Pravda: Sec Gen, I'd like to ask you about Ukrainian participation in the forthcoming Summit. How do you see that? Do you expect Ukrainian President to be invited to the Council? So would it be Council held? Maybe it was discussed. Maybe you have heard from Minister Sybiha his position, and, of course, what Ukraine could expect, even on these early stages. Thank you.

Mark Rutte, NATO Secretary General:  We have not yet decided on the exact choreography of the summit, so that's for later.

Allison Hart, Acting NATO Spokesperson:  Alright, the woman in the second row here.

Antoaneta Roussi, Politico:  Hi, Secretary General, Antoaneta from Politico. You've talked about the Allies agreeing on contributing their fair share to defence spending or upping their defence spending. Have you talked about what that captures, what that entails? Because Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez talked about climate change, border controls, cyber included. Can you be more specific about what is captured in this defence spending?

Mark Rutte, NATO Secretary General:  We have not discussed that these two days, but within NATO, we have a clear definition, understanding of what defence spending is and what it is not. And we're not going to change that definition.

Allison Hart, Acting NATO Spokesperson:  Alright. And the man one from the end there on the second row.

Lithuanian National Radio and Television: Thank you for this opportunity. (inaudible) from Lithuanian National Radio and Television. I would like to ask, what could you say to the people in the eastern flank, and especially in Lithuania. Because there was a lot of worry in the past few weeks and months about NATO's future, about the US future in NATO. So what could you say to those people, and also about the fact that there is, as you called, I think, the two-tier NATO, when countries in the east, they invest much more than the countries in the south and the west. So what is your message to the eastern flank?

Mark Rutte, NATO Secretary General:  Yeah, well again, as Secretary Rubio said yesterday, Marco Rubio, in the press statement, we did. And maybe I can just repeat it. A total commitment to NATO. Also the expectation to continue to ramp up spending in Canada and on the European side. When you look at the European side, I think we have now the biggest increase in defence spending since the Cold War. I think you can safely state that. Hundreds of billions, literally hundreds of billions of dollars, slash euros coming in. So I would really suggest that everybody has his own right, and has a full right, of course, to worry about everything they want to worry about. But I would say, let's stop worrying about whether the US is leaving NATO. They are not. But then I can say that, Rubio can say that, Trump can say that. But somehow there are still people saying, yeah, yeah, but that might still be the case. Okay, but then, then, then I've done my part, and I would say, let's bring down the blood pressure. There are so many other issues to worry about. How we how we get Ukraine durable durable peace, how we spend the money in Europe in a way that we really ramp up our collective defence and deterrence, in conjunction with Canada and the US. These are the issues we have to we have to work on. And that's exactly what we are doing.

And this whole concept of a two-tier NATO, yes, when it comes to spending, is true. That when you look at the three Baltic countries and Poland, you are now close to over four, but some even close to 5%. So there are lots happening there. But in most cases, two tiers is meant in a different way. And that is to make the distinction between the older member, the older allies, and the newer ones. And I hate that distinction. Because, as I consistently say, we are all on the eastern flank. The difference between Vilnius and Rome and Vilnius and The Hague, Vilnius London or Washington - now, Washington is a bit farther away - but when you take the European capitals, is 10 minutes. That's the difference these latest Russian missiles will take to reach you. So that's the difference. So we are all in the eastern flank. I live on the eastern flank in Brussels, The Hague.

Allison Hart, Acting NATO Spokesperson:   Alright, we have a few questions in the fourth row. We'll start right in the centre, the man with the glasses. Many of you have glasses. I'll come back.

Andrey Smolyakov, Doxa Russian exiled media: Thank you for the floor. Andrey Smolyakov, representative of an exiled media in Russian language.  Secretary General, there have been some talks during the negotiations between the US and Russia on Ukrainian membership in NATO. Can you reaffirm that the alliance still stands by the Ukrainian membership? Can you still confirm that it's irreversible and it's not up to negotiation?

Mark Rutte, NATO Secretary General:  That's it. We decided in Washington that the path of Ukraine into NATO is irreversible. We are building the bridge by everything we're doing with Ukraine, getting you Ukraine as interoperable as possible with, with NATO. But it was never promised to Ukraine that NATO membership will be part of a peace deal. I mean, that is also true.

Allison Hart, Acting NATO Spokesperson:  Alright. Woman with the dark hair and the dark jacket.

Ellen Francis, Washington Post: Thank you. Ellen Francis, Washington Post.  Secretary General, you mentioned territorial claims. We've reported that the White House is studying the cost of controlling Greenland, and President Trump has not ruled out the use of force to take Greenland. So I want to ask you, what good would Article Five do if an attack on a NATO ally comes from within, and how would NATO respond then? Thank you.

Mark Rutte, NATO Secretary General: I said before that, I think we should zoom out from Greenland, and we should look at the high north and the Arctic in general. Because there is an issue in the Arctic with Chinese using the new sea lanes coming up, Russia, rearming and arming parts of the Arctic. And that is why the seven Arctic countries within NATO, US and Canada, Denmark through Greenland, but also Iceland, Norway, Finland, Sweden, are working together all seven, and NATO is involved, to make sure that we take the necessary next steps to defend this part of NATO territory.

Allison Hart, Acting NATO Spokesperson: Alright, we're just about out of time. We'll take two more questions. So the man in the light grey jacket on the fourth row, yes.

National News Agency of Ukraine: Thank you for the floor. (inaudible) National News Agency of Ukraine. As we know, the US Secretary of Defence, for the first time, will not take part in the future contact group on Ukraine. Does it mean that the US somehow withdraw themselves from that kind of initiative? And if yes, how that could be corresponding the Alliance efforts to put Ukraine in the strongest possible position on the table? Thank you.

Mark Rutte, NATO Secretary General: The answer is no to the question. The answer is no, and the Brits and the Germans, so the two defence ministers will chair the meeting together, and the flow of American goods and American intelligence into Ukraine is continuing as normal.

Allison Hart, Acting NATO Spokesperson: Alright. Finally, in the front here,

Child Visitor: Thank you very much for this opportunity, Secretary General Mark Rutte. We have heard a lot of adults, but what is your message for the young people in NATO countries?

Mark Rutte, NATO Secretary General: Thank you so much for that question. And by the way, can I say that this morning, you guys spoke to a lot of foreign ministers who came into the building, including Marco Rubio. And they all told me that you did a fantastic job. That you were very clear, and that we can all learn from you. At least I can learn from you, but this is about my relationship with the journalists. But on your question, what I want for you is to grow up in this part of the world knowing we are safe. And we are safe because we have prepared for war. We have prepared for the worst. We are a defensive alliance. We don't want to attack anyone, but we have prepared to the max to make sure that no one will ever, ever try to attack us. Because they know, then we will really, all will actually be devastated. And that is what I want. And that is why we have to spend more. Why we, maybe you will decide, or you will decide when you grow up to join the military and help to defend. I think you're from, from the Netherlands, to defend our country.  And other children might think, or, in ten fifteen years, to defend their country. And if not, that you live a safe life and that you know that you're well protected. Thank you so much.

Allison Hart, Acting NATO Spokesperson: Thank you everyone. Have a good day.