00:00...tolling system in an international waterway, that's just not acceptable, it can't happen.
00:04If that were to happen in the Straits of Hormuz, it would happen in five other places around the world.
00:08Why would countries all over the world say, well, we want to do this too?
00:42So, good morning again, and good morning again, Marco, Marco Rubio.
00:49We really appreciate you being here today.
00:52We had a first discussion, we will now continue with, of course, the NATO foreign ministers.
00:58And the meeting will very much concentrate on a couple of issues, also on your mind and the president's mind,
01:04which has to do with the defense spending.
01:07The good news is, the money is now coming in, defense spending is rapidly ramping up,
01:12building on the success of the DHAG summit.
01:15Tens of billions, and over the years there's hundreds of billions coming in.
01:19That also leads us to the question how to spend it, to make sure that it is spent well,
01:24and that brings us to the big issue of the defense industrial base, which is not producing enough.
01:29This is a problem in Europe, this is a problem in the US, and this will be a big issue
01:33at the Ankara summit.
01:34But there are huge opportunities here.
01:36We have to produce more to maintain our deterrence and defense,
01:42but we're also big in terms of the defense dividend, societal effects here,
01:47in terms of jobs, new factories opening up, new production lines across the Atlantic,
01:52and even more fostering the transatlantic bond.
01:56And, of course, Ukraine will be on the agenda today, making sure that Ukraine stays strong in the fight.
02:00And I again want to thank the United States for the fact that the critical flow of U.S. military
02:07support to Ukraine
02:08in terms of, for example, the interceptors for patriotism, continues to go, paid for by European and Canadian allies,
02:15and it is really vital for Ukraine to stay strong in the fight.
02:19Obviously, today we have foreign ministers here, so we will discuss foreign issues,
02:22and one of the big issues now, of course, is Iran, the Strait of Hormuz,
02:25and the issue of freedom of navigation, and I hear from many of my colleagues here
02:32that it is not acceptable that the freedom of navigation is basically trampled upon as it is at the moment.
02:41And we have to think how we collectively can deal with this.
02:44And I think everybody acknowledges that the United States degrading the nuclear capability of Iran,
02:51but also the long-range missile capability of Iran is crucial for the Middle East, for Europe, for the whole
02:57world.
02:57So again, Marco, thank you for being here, for your incredible leadership,
03:01and being such a staunch supporter of our transatlantic bond.
03:05Well, thank you. First of all, thank you to this great country for hosting us.
03:08They've been phenomenal hosts.
03:09They've been great new members of NATO's really model allies and great hosts.
03:13So it's a pleasure to be here, and it's always great to see you, Marc.
03:16And obviously, we're here to set the groundwork for what I think will be probably one of the more important
03:20leaders' summit
03:22in the history of NATO.
03:24The president's views, frankly, disappointment at some of our NATO allies
03:30and their response to our operations in the Middle East.
03:33They're well-documented. That will have to be addressed.
03:35It won't be solved or addressed today.
03:37That's something for the leader's level to discuss.
03:39In the meantime, there are other areas where we continue with cooperation.
03:42You saw the president's announcement last night with regards to Poland and deployment.
03:46That said, obviously, the United States continues to have global commitments that it needs to meet
03:50in terms of our forced deployment, and that constantly requires us to reexamine where we put troops.
03:56This is not a punitive thing. It's just something that's ongoing, and it was preexisting,
03:59all these recent reports and tensions and so forth.
04:02So that's a process that will continue that I think in a very positive and productive way
04:07and collaboration with our allies can reach decisions.
04:11But in the end, like any alliance, it has to be good for everyone who's involved.
04:15It has to be a clear understanding of what the expectations are,
04:19and so certainly we'll try to lay the groundwork for that.
04:21One of the areas where I think we definitely can cooperate on is the defense industrial base.
04:25It is clear to the world, to all of us in the alliance and beyond,
04:29that we simply are not able to produce munitions today at a rate that are necessary for future needs.
04:35That's something that has to be addressed.
04:37That's something that we can work together on.
04:38That's something we want to work together on.
04:40I think it's key not just to production but to interoperability,
04:43and so I imagine that will be a topic of conversation.
04:45On the issue of Iran, the news this morning, I know it's early on the –
04:49that's still in the United States, a little later in the region, in the Middle East,
04:53but we await word on those conversations that are ongoing.
04:57There's been some slight progress.
04:58I don't want to exaggerate it, but there's been a little bit of movement, and that's good.
05:01The fundamentals remain the same.
05:02Iran can never have a nuclear weapon.
05:04It just cannot – this regime can never have nuclear weapons.
05:09And to achieve that, we're going to have to address the issue of enrichment.
05:12We're going to have to address the issue of the highly enriched uranium.
05:14And then added to this, of course, is the issue of the straits.
05:17Iran is trying to create a tolling system.
05:19They're trying to convince Oman, by the way, to join them in this tolling system,
05:22in an international waterway.
05:23There is not a country in the world that should accept that.
05:26I don't know of a country in the world that's in favor of it except Iran,
05:29but there's no country in the world that should accept it.
05:31Right now at the United Nations, we have a resolution that is sponsored by Bahrain.
05:35We've been very involved with it.
05:36It has the highest number of co-sponsors of any resolution ever before the Security Council.
05:42Unfortunately, a couple of countries on the Security Council are thinking about vetoing it.
05:46That would be lamentable.
05:47We are doing everything we can, though, to achieve the sort of global consensus
05:51that's necessary to prevent this from happening,
05:54and we're trying to use the United Nations.
05:55Let's see if the United Nations still works.
05:58That's a place that we're going to try to get an outcome for.
06:00And obviously, I think almost every country represented here today
06:04has signed on as a co-sponsor of that resolution,
06:06and if they haven't, I'm sure they soon will,
06:08because I don't know of anyone in the world that should be in favor
06:12of a tolling system in an international waterway.
06:14That's just not acceptable.
06:16It can't happen.
06:17If that were to happen in the Straits of Hormuz,
06:18it will happen in five other places around the world.
06:20Why would countries all over the world say,
06:22well, we want to do this too?
06:24Not to mention how vital and critical that strait is
06:26to every country represented here today,
06:28but frankly to countries not represented here today,
06:31particularly the Indo-Pacific.
06:33So, we'll have a good meeting today.
06:35I hope it'll be productive.
06:36I expect it will be, and it'll set the groundwork
06:38for the leaders to meet in about six weeks,
06:40and we have a lot of work to do between now and then.
06:43Okay, thank you.
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