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00:00If anyone thinks here, again, that the European Union or Europe as a whole can defend itself...
00:05...without the US, keep on dreaming. You can't. We can't. We need each other.
00:10I think he is very important to NATO. He is totally committed to NATO.
00:15He had one big irritant, one big pebble in the shoe, which is there since Eisenhower, the fact that...
00:20...the Europeans were not paying up. I'm not sure I can answer them all, but I'll do my best.
00:24So...
00:25...to really delve into the questions and take them one by one...
00:30...and then also clustering them a little bit. European architecture, how to avoid...
00:35...there are political differences, was the question, how to prevent...
00:40...the community. I would say it is our strength that we have our political differences.
00:45And the fact that we have these political differences means that we are democracies with free press.
00:50...with demonstrations on the street, if necessary, with various parties from...
00:55...the European governments. And I would say it is the strength of this organisation, of NATO and also of the EU, that...
01:00...that we are based on this principle of democracy. So I would respectfully...
01:05...and I would disagree and I think it is the unity which is stronger because of our diversity.
01:10Then on Greenland. There were many questions on Greenland and basically...
01:15...what was discussed last week and of course in a run-up to the debate.
01:20Many phone calls have taken place, also from European leaders.
01:25But in the end what we agreed is, I think two work streams going forward.
01:30One work stream is for NATO collectively to take more responsibility...
01:35...for the defence of the Arctic. As you know there are seven countries in the Arctic...
01:40...there is the US through Alaska and of course Canada, Denmark because of Greenland.
01:45And then we have Iceland, Norway, Finland, Sweden. Yes, these are the seven countries.
01:50...bordering on the Arctic. The AIDS one is Russia, obviously not in NATO.
01:55So one work stream will be to see how best collectively we can prevent the Russians...
02:00...and the Chinese, getting more access to the Arctic region, becoming also military...
02:05...and there is more of an adversary there. How to prevent that, also from them gaining...
02:10...access to the economy here and there. And that is one work stream.
02:14NATO clearly...
02:15...being in charge here. The second work stream is that what was agreed a week before...
02:20...I met with the President on Wednesday, there was the meeting in Washington between...
02:25...the foreign ministers of Denmark and of course the foreign ministers of Greenland.
02:30...IS
02:35to continue their discussions on the India's trilateral sector.
02:40And basically what they probably will focus on, but now it is up to the Danes.
02:45And the US to do that, I will not be involved in that work stream.
02:50Clearly what came out of the meeting on Wednesday is at least two issues to address.
02:55And issue one is Russia, issue second is China, how to prevent these...
03:00Two countries from gaining access in a military sense or in an economic sense to the Arctic.
03:04Of course...
03:05I have no mandate to negotiate the foreign minister of Denmark for...
03:10The previous foreign minister of Denmark asked that question.
03:12Of course, I have no mandate to...
03:15Negotiate on behalf of Denmark, so I didn't and I will not.
03:18Of course, that's up to Denmark to do.
03:20I will be very much involved as NATO Secretary General in the first work stream.
03:24How can we...
03:25Best as NATO collectively take...
03:29The...
03:30Defensive...
03:30of the Arctic forward and indeed there is also an issue I think when
03:35the Arctic becomes more of an issue and President Trump by the way and I will defend him now
03:40and then this afternoon just to irritate you no no because I really feel that he
03:45deserves some defense he was the one during Trump 45 who already said there is an issue
03:50with Arctic security and again he did so when he came back into office in January anything
03:55he is right there is an issue with the Arctic region there is an issue of collective security
03:58because these sea lands are
04:00opening up and because the Chinese and the Russians are more and more active China of
04:03course not boarding on the Arctic
04:05but as you know very much being involved there and to it together with
04:10the Russians so clearly we have to address that and that means
04:15that when it comes to this question of capabilities we will see in NATO how we
04:20tackle this we have a well established process of capability targeting
04:25so now we will look into within the system of the capability targets the Danes have made
04:29this point Prime Minister
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04:35So we now look into how we can best do that, taking that issue forward that...
04:40The capabilities we need also to defend the Arctic are also step by step becoming part.
04:45Of the overall capability targeting process. Then on the Ukraine peace agreement...
04:50Obviously the security guarantees are extremely important and as you know there are three...
04:55layers. One layer is the Ukrainian Armed Forces going forward. They will be the first line of defense...
05:00The second line of defense being the coalition of the willing. They...
05:05providing training, providing for example also support...
05:10in terms of the military build-up of the Ukrainian Armed Forces. So this is led by the French and the Brits...
05:15as you know and of course the US becoming more and more involved as you know since last...
05:20last summer and as the president of Ukraine said yesterday and I think he is right...
05:25the security guarantees are close to being agreed upon. But then of course there is...
05:30the other issue which is the rebuilding of Ukraine and the third issue is a very sensitive issue...
05:35of territory. In the end it is only the Ukrainian government who can decide on territory.
05:40But for the Ukrainian government to get its head around what they can accept...
05:45in terms of a compromise on territory. It is crucial for them to know that going forward...
05:50the Russians will not try to attack Ukraine again. Preferably of course...
05:55they would love for Ukraine to be a NATO but as you know various NATO nations are at the moment...
06:00blocking that. There is this irreversible path into NATO that will still be there.
06:05But at the short term it is politically... it is practically now not...
06:10what's on the cards and that means that the security guarantees...
06:13are the more crucial to prevent...
06:15to prevent the Russians from ever attacking again.
06:20I have no, there is no link between this for the U.S. side.
06:25And one of you made that point that there was rumor of a link, I understand.
06:29I haven't heard it before.
06:30Between the Greenland discussion and the Ukrainian discussion, these are totally separate.
06:35It's rightly raised here crucial because it is a big source of income for the Russia.
06:40And I'm extremely happy with the fact that we pose more...
06:45More strategic dilemmas to the Russians in terms of Baltic sentry, and we have seen...
06:50What the Americans did with the Russian flagship close to Iceland, and we have seen many other...
06:55tensions also by the French, close to the French coast, and I think when these...
07:00ships pose a threat to the environment, when there are serious questions about the capabilities...
07:05of the ship to continue sailing, continue sailing without cutting...
07:10of the international infrastructure, critical industry infrastructure, and obviously...
07:13within all the legal frameworks...
07:15of course all the nations are aware of that, within the legal framework there are ways to...
07:20to intervene, and that already is having an impact, and it forces the Russians to more and more...
07:25to protect the shallow fleet, which of course poses a cost on them.
07:30Then...
07:30when it comes to the comments on soldiers in Japan...
07:35In Afghanistan, the point I made with President Trump is that article 5 was...
07:40...used once after 9-11, and this was of course when the US was under...
07:45...and I made a point that many non-Ju...
07:50...NATO countries, but also partners like Australia, have helped out in Afghanistan, and that for...
07:55...every two American soldiers who paid the ultimate price, one soldier...
08:00...of a ally or a partner, a NATO ally or a partner country, did not return.
08:05And I particularly mention Denmark, because relatively speaking...
08:10...they have had many casualties in...
08:15...Afghanistan, the Netherlands, but also of course bigger countries like Italy...
08:20...UK, Australia and others. And I know, and of course the President already has...
08:25...made the point, I think it was yesterday, praising the United Kingdom for the...
08:30...Immense sacrifice they made in...
08:35...solder-to-solder with the Americans...
08:37...fighting in Afghanistan, and I know...
08:40...that America greatly appreciates all the efforts being made in the...
08:45...Afghanistan, and acknowledges the fact that many casualties...
08:50...were there, not only Americans, but also from, as I said, allies and...
08:55...NATO partners. The European pillar, this whole discussion on the European pillar.
08:59I think...
09:00...let's focus. The focus should be that we complement each other.
09:05Exactly as we're doing at the moment. And it is NATO, as I said...
09:08...standard setting, capabilities...
09:10...command and control, and the EU, when it comes to resilience, when it comes to the...
09:15...industrial-based, when it comes to regulation, when it comes to finding ways of...
09:20...getting the money to pay for our collective defence on top of what...
09:25...of course the individual nations are doing. That's how we should go forward.
09:28A European pillar...
09:30...is a bit of an empty word. I guess what you mean is a sort of next to each...
09:35...nation to have a sort of European defence force. I think...
09:38...but of course that's up to the EU.
09:40...the European countries to decide. But I think there will be a lot of duplication.
09:44I wish you luck if...
09:45...you want to do it, because you have to find the men and women in uniform.
09:47It will be on top of what is happening already.
09:50...and it will make things more complicated. I think Putin will love it.
09:53So...
09:55...think again. But if the European pillar means what I just said...
09:58...this division of labour...
10:00...we're focusing on where Europe has strength...
10:02...and NATO focusing on where NATO has strength...
10:05...that's great. On the...
10:07...my relationship with the President... Hey, listen.
10:10Somebody is doing good stuff, and President Trump is doing a lot of good stuff, I believe.
10:13I know, I'm irritating a lot.
10:15But I think so, because, as I said, also in Davos, the 2% reached by.
10:20All NATO countries now, at the end of 2025, would.
10:25Never, ever, ever have happened without Trump.
10:27Do you really think that Spain and Italy and...
10:30Belgium and Canada would have decided to move from 1,5 to 2%.
10:35Italy spending 10 billion more now on the fence at the beginning of the year without President Trump?
10:39No!
10:40No way, it would not have happened.
10:41And do you really think that in The Hague we would have come to the 5% commitment...
10:45...without President Trump?
10:46No way.
10:47So I think he is very important to name.
10:50He is totally committed to NATO, he had one big irritant, one big pebble in...
10:55...in the shoe, which is there since Eisenhower, the fact that the Europeans were not paying up.
10:59And with the...
11:00...NATO defense commitment in The Hague, the outcome of The Hague Summert, on spending...
11:05...and also initial production in Ukraine, but particularly here on spending, we are now equalizing with...
11:10...in the US, so that irritant is gone, so there is a total commitment by the US to NATO in Article 5.
11:15But also on expectations that Europeans and Canadians will pay more, and we are doing so during...
11:20...Germany is a big example, you spend 70 billion on defense in 2021...
11:25...you will spend 160 billion, 90 billion more in 2029, you will...
11:30...to reach the 3.5% core defense spending as part of the 5% by 2029...
11:35...this is Germany leading the way, the second biggest economy in NATO, this is crucial...
11:40...is a great example to others, and of course we have a couple of countries like Poland and Estland, Lithuania...
11:45...and Latvia already on the 5%, but also Canada, can I mention that here?
11:50Canada is back, Canada 2%, committing to the 5%, being a huge...
11:55...supporter for Ukraine, also spending a lot of money on these pearl packages, so Canada is really...
12:00...back and I think that's fantastic.
12:05President Trump is doing good stuff, I will praise him, and I don't mind him publishing...
12:10...and if anyone thinks here, again, that the European Union or a European...
12:15...can defend itself without the US, keep on dreaming, you can't, we can't.
12:20We need each other. And why do we need each other? I tell you.
12:23First of all, because also the...
12:25The US needs NATO. The US is not only in NATO to prevent the mistake...
12:30...after the First World War, not to re-engage with Europe. And then again...
12:35...the long arm of history reaching out to the US again in the Second World War, as Churchill famous...
12:40...that he previously said in his speech in 1941 in the US Congress.
12:43They are also in NATO...
12:45...because for the US to stay safe, and by the way, Arctic region is evidence here...
12:50...they need a secure Arctic, they need a secure Europe Atlantic, and they also need a secure Europe.
12:54So the US...
12:55The US has every interest in NATO, as much as Canada and the European NATO.
13:00Allies. But for Europe, if you really want to go out alone, and those who were pleading for that...
13:05...forget that you can never get there with 5%, it will be 10%. You have to build up your own...
13:10...nuclear capability. That costs billions and billions of euros. You will lose then.
13:15In that scenario, you would lose the ultimate guarantor of our freedom, which is the US nuclear umbrella.
13:20So, hey, good luck. Then...
13:25I love this.
13:29The Board of Peace.
13:30On the Board of Peace, I will not comment, because when it comes to...
13:35...the Board of Peace, obviously, NATO is not directly involved in the Middle East peace efforts.
13:40Of course, we welcome all the work to secure peace in Gaza, where allies and...
13:45...publicating the crisis, but we are not ourselves involved in that.
13:50In that sense.
13:51Then...
13:52Bilateral alliances...
13:54...well...
13:55...
13:55Bilateral cooperation is great. I'm not sure about alliances, what is the difference, but I mean, within NATO...
14:00...there are many. I mean, we have the Weimar format, we have the E3...
14:05...we have the E5, we have the A7. That's great. The B9. So, there are many...
14:10...corporation between countries within NATO, which only strengthens NATO. I'm totally in favour.
14:15Then on Iran. We are only involved with Iran when it comes to the fact that Iran...
14:20...North Korea and Russia and China are working together. But again, if it comes to the situation in Iran itself...
14:25...at the moment, and of course, I'm extremely worried about that. We all are. It's not for NATO to...
14:30...get involved because NATO has its...
14:32...has its, of course, is...
14:35...concentrating on the Euro...
14:36...on the Euro-Atlantic.
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