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00:00 As a founding member of NATO and the eyes and ears of the Alliance on the northern flank,
00:06 Norway is a critical partner and critical to transatlantic security.
00:11 And we just saw that again last week when the USS Cheryl Ford, the world's largest aircraft
00:18 carrier, arrived in Oslo for training exercises. Here in Secretary General Stoltenberg's hometown,
00:27 let me also say how grateful I am to Jens for his remarkable leadership of our Alliance these
00:33 past few years. Truly a crucial moment for the Alliance. Jens has brought a remarkably strong
00:41 and steady hand to NATO, and as a result, no small measure, thanks to his leadership,
00:48 NATO is facing the future stronger, bigger, and more united than ever.
00:54 We had a very productive discussion today to prepare for the NATO summit in Vilnius
00:59 that will take place next month. We focused on advancing our unwavering support for Ukraine in
01:04 the face of Russia's brutal aggression. As we look to Vilnius, we remain dedicated to the
01:11 principles underpinning our Alliance, including, of course, Article 5 and our shared commitment
01:16 to defend every inch of NATO territory. We continue to strengthen and modernize the Alliance
01:24 as we head to Vilnius. On April 4th, of course, we welcome Finland as our 31st ally, adding another
01:30 first-rate military and enhancing our presence in the High North and the Black Sea. We're continuing
01:36 to work to complete the accession process for Sweden, another very strong and capable partner,
01:41 and we fully anticipate doing so by the time the leaders meet in Vilnius. These additions
01:48 will make both Finland and Sweden safer and make NATO stronger. And our defensive Alliance is
01:55 and always will keep its door open to new members. We appreciate the efforts of allies, like Norway,
02:02 who have made concrete plans to meet the Wales Pledge and spend at least 2 percent of GDP
02:07 on defence. And we look forward to coming out of Vilnius with a strengthened pledge to provide
02:13 the resources necessary to improve the readiness of our militaries, increase our resilience,
02:18 and keep pace with emerging challenges like cyber defence and climate security.
02:23 We're also deepening our coordination with key partners in the Indo-Pacific,
02:27 building on our shared commitment to a free and open Indo-Pacific.
02:31 As the people of Ukraine demonstrate incredible courage and sacrifice, the United States,
02:38 the European Union, and countries around the world continue to support their fight to defend
02:43 their sovereignty and territorial integrity and the right to choose their own path. Together,
02:49 we have committed billions of dollars in security assistance, including our recent pledge
02:53 to train Ukrainian pilots on F-16 aircraft, which Norway is also considering.
02:57 We've imposed severe sanctions on Russia's economy and war machine.
03:01 We're providing vital humanitarian, economic, and energy assistance.
03:05 Norway has been an essential partner in this effort from day one.
03:11 Going back to February of 2022, Norway has provided more than $2.3 billion in support of Ukraine,
03:16 including air defences and other weapons, and has pledged now $7.5 billion in aid over the
03:24 next five years. As Europe's leading supplier of natural gas, Norway has been instrumental in
03:30 helping Europe transition away from Russian energy, which the United States remains committed
03:34 to supporting. And the people of Norway have welcomed some 43,000 Ukrainian refugees who
03:40 are finding new homes and even learning Norwegian. In today's discussion, many Allies also expressed
03:47 concern about increased tensions in northern Kosovo and strongly condemned the recent attacks
03:52 on KFOR troops. And we're thinking today of our Italian and Hungarian colleagues who were injured
03:59 in that attack. We call on the governments of Kosovo and Serbia to take immediate steps
04:04 to de-escalate tensions and renew efforts to implement the EU-led normalisation agreements.
04:10 We support the process of Euro-Atlantic integration for Kosovo and for Serbia,
04:14 but the current escalation hinders rather than helps the efforts to move in that direction.
04:21 In addition to our informal NATO ministerial, I appreciated very much the chance to meet with
04:28 Prime Minister Sturre yesterday evening, and I'll be meeting shortly with my friend and colleague,
04:32 the Foreign Minister, to discuss the very robust bilateral relationship between our countries,
04:37 which is growing from strength. Last year, a new supplementary defence cooperation agreement
04:44 entered into force, modernising how our militaries collaborate. Norway is leading the world in
04:49 advancing clean energy technologies, with electric vehicles now making up 80% of new cars sold here
04:55 over the last year. We'll continue partnering with Norway to combat the climate crisis,
04:59 from reducing deforestation to making shipping greener. And of course, our countries are Arctic
05:07 allies. I look forward to discussing with the Foreign Minister Norway's assumption of the chair
05:11 of the Arctic Council. We're eager to work with like-minded allies to advance our vision
05:16 of a peaceful, stable, prosperous and cooperative Arctic. To deepen our own engagement in the High
05:22 North, I'm announcing today that the United States will be opening an American presence post
05:27 in Tromsø, our northernmost diplomatic mission and only such facility above the Arctic Circle.
05:34 So I very much appreciated the opportunity to discuss these efforts with both our Norwegian
05:39 and NATO allies. We covered a lot of ground today in preparation for Vilnius. And I think,
05:46 based on the discussions today, we can anticipate a very productive summit when our leaders meet in
05:51 July. With that, I'm happy to take some questions. First question is for Sean Tandon with AFP.
05:56 Thank you, Mr. Secretary. Can I follow up on a couple of things you just said?
06:04 You said that the door remains open to Ukraine. Here in the talks leading up to the Vilnius
06:09 summit, what political commitments do you think NATO should give to Ukraine, if any,
06:14 at this point, in addition to the military aid? Excuse me. And on the issue of Kosovo,
06:19 you mentioned the call to de-escalate tensions. You've criticized the leaders in Pristina for
06:23 the actions that they've taken. How much leverage does the United States or do other NATO members
06:27 have over those decisions? And how do you assess the role of Belgrade and Moscow in this?
06:32 And with your indulgence, can I just briefly ask about the situation in Sudan?
06:35 You have the breakdown of the talks there, the army withdrawing. Are you optimistic at all of
06:39 talks restarting or a peace process restarting at some point? Thank you.
06:44 Good. Thanks very much, Sean. So, with regard to Ukraine, I think, based on the discussions today,
06:51 the first thing I'd say is that at Vilnius, when the leaders meet for the summit,
06:57 we and our friends in Ukraine can anticipate a very robust package of both political and
07:03 practical support. Everyone here stands behind the Bucharest commitment. That hasn't changed.
07:14 We're focused intensely on what we can do to strengthen even more the relationship between
07:22 Ukraine and NATO and to continue to bring Ukraine up to NATO standards, interoperability.
07:30 And I think you'll see that be a feature of the summit at Vilnius, as well as strengthening the
07:37 political relationship between NATO and Ukraine. So, again, I'd anticipate, based on discussions
07:44 and today, that there will be a strong package of support. Now, what we were doing today is not
07:52 decisional. This was really an opportunity on the eve, almost the eve of the summit,
07:57 to compare notes and to make sure that when we get to the summit, we do so in a way that's
08:04 characterized our entire approach to the crisis in Ukraine, to Russia's war of aggression against
08:10 Ukraine, and that is united, together and moving forward. So, you'll see that both in terms of
08:20 support for Ukraine. You'll see that in terms of our ongoing commitment to strengthen our own
08:25 alliance to make sure that it is properly postured for any Russian aggression. And I think you'll
08:34 also see that in NATO looking at a whole series of other challenges, many of which we've focused
08:41 on addressing, including with our new strategic concept. With regard to Kosovo, the escalation
08:54 there and the actions taken there move both Kosovo and Serbia in the wrong direction, because the
09:05 answer that we're looking for is de-escalation, avoiding any unilateral actions, and returning to
09:16 this normalization process and the EU-led effort that is what promises both of them a future of
09:25 integration in the Euro-Atlantic community. And in a sense, when we're talking about leverage,
09:32 that's it. That, I think, meets clearly the aspirations of people in both countries. If
09:39 either country is taking steps that actually make that a more distant prospect, that's actually not
09:44 going to serve the interests of their people. We've been very clear in our concerns about some
09:51 of the recent actions that were taken. We've said that directly to the leaders involved,
09:58 including Prime Minister Kurti, and we're looking for both to act responsibly going forward.
10:05 Sudan, we have been very much engaged and I've been very much engaged in trying to get a ceasefire.
10:14 We did. Very imperfect. We got it extended a few times. We did see the provision of
10:23 humanitarian assistance moving forward, but it has been incredibly imperfect and incredibly fragile.
10:31 And now we're seeing actions, again, by both sides in clear violation of the commitments they've made
10:38 in terms of the ceasefire. So that also is not the right direction to be heading,
10:45 and it's certainly not what's in the interests of the people of Sudan. We'll continue to be
10:49 engaged at the same time. We're also looking at steps that we can take to make clear
10:56 our views on any leaders who are moving Sudan in the wrong direction, including
11:05 by perpetuating the violence and by violating the ceasefires that they've actually committed to.
11:13 So that's what we're focused on right now.
11:16 Mattia Bagnoli with ANSA.
11:18 Yes. Thank you, Mr. Secretary, for the opportunity. I want to go back to Kosovo for a second,
11:30 please. Regarding the rising tensions that we are seeing over there,
11:34 NATO has already announced an increase in its presence. And is the US also ready to deploy
11:42 more troops at Bonn Steel Base? So the United States already has forces there as part of the
11:49 existing mission. The plus up, we have several hundred forces as part of the KFOR mission.
11:56 The plus up that was announced by NATO I don't think will involve additional US forces. But as
12:03 I said, there are already US forces as part of the KFOR mission. There are now an additional
12:06 roughly 700 troops who will be added to the approximately, I think, 4,000 or so who are
12:13 already there. But again, the most important thing is for the parties themselves to de-escalate,
12:22 to stop engaging in unilateral actions, and to return to the EU-led dialogue.
12:29 That is the path forward. That is what we are strongly urging both parties to do.
12:36 That is very much our expectation for what we will see in the days and weeks ahead.
12:41 Moderator Next question is for Will Malden
12:43 with The Wall Street Journal. Will Malden
12:49 Thank you, Mr. Secretary. I wanted to follow up on Sean's question and ask,
12:54 based on the conversations that you heard at the informal meeting,
12:57 a group of – the majority of NATO countries, their foreign affairs committee chairman wrote today,
13:06 saying that there should be a clear path toward membership for Ukraine and a strong security
13:11 guarantee. Is that something that's consistent with what you heard in the room? Or is there
13:16 still a deep divide between those who want NATO membership for Ukraine and those who don't?
13:22 And then following up on where you said practical support for Ukraine,
13:26 would that be some kind of scheduled weapons delivery or assistance long term,
13:32 something like the US provides for Israel? Or were you referring to something else?
13:36 Thank you.
13:36 Secretary General Well, first, I think it's, again,
13:38 very clear from today's discussion that every ally stands by Bucharest. There is no division
13:48 on that proposition. NATO is a consensus-driven organization. So any steps that we take have to
13:57 be taken by consensus of all 31 countries who are currently members of the Alliance.
14:04 As I said, when we're looking at Vilnius, our focus is twofold. First, we have an immediate focus,
14:15 both through NATO, but also on an individual basis with the now more than 50 countries that
14:23 have been supporting Ukraine, an immediate focus on maximizing our support for Ukraine,
14:28 as it engages in a counter offensive to take back its territory, seized from it by Russia
14:34 over the last year and a quarter. At the same time, we're also focused on helping Ukraine
14:44 build up its medium to long term deterrent and defence capacity so that if and when
14:51 the current aggression settles, Ukraine has the full capacity to deter and if necessary defend
14:58 against future aggression. And NATO has a role in that in terms of the work that it can do to
15:07 help bring Ukraine up to NATO standards in its planning, in its interoperability with NATO.
15:17 And then individual countries are playing a role in that and will be playing a role in that,
15:22 including by providing not only the immediate support to Ukraine, but also longer term support
15:29 so that again, over time, Ukraine can fully build up its deterrent and defence capacity.
15:34 We talked about all of that today. We, of course, have been engaged in those discussions directly
15:43 with Ukraine. Other countries have as well. And I think you'll see a lot of that coming together
15:49 in the weeks ahead. But the NATO piece of this is, as I said, strengthening the political
15:56 relationship between Ukraine and NATO. I think the Secretary General talked about some of the
16:00 elements of that. But again, I don't want to get too far ahead of the summit itself,
16:05 because ultimately these are decisions that the leaders have to make and finalise.
16:09 But also, as I said, very practical support, including the work that NATO will do to help
16:16 bring Ukraine fully up to NATO standards. So all of that will be coming forward in the next weeks.
16:24 And as I said, my full expectation is there'll be a very strong package of support on both
16:28 the political side and the practical side when the leaders get together in Vilnius.