NATO Secretary General with the Chancellor of Germany 🇩🇪 Olaf Scholz, 19 JUN 2023

Press conference by NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg with the Chancellor of Germany, Olaf Scholz, Berlin, 19 June 2023.

🗣 | NATO Secretary General:

Chancellor Scholz, dear Olaf,

Thank you so much for hosting me here in Berlin, and also thank you so much for your leadership and for your personal commitment to NATO, to the transatlantic Alliance.

We face the most challenging security environment in a generation.

Last year, President Putin sent hundreds of thousands of troops into Ukraine, causing death and destruction.

Ukraine has the right to liberate its own land.
And a counteroffensive is now underway.

The more land the Ukrainians are able to liberate, the stronger their hand will eventually be at the negotiating table.

We all want this war to end. But a just peace cannot mean freezing the conflict and accepting a deal dictated by Russia.

NATO is, as you said, no party to the conflict.

We stand by Ukraine in its right to self-defence, enshrined in the UN Charter.

And I commend Germany for its leading role in providing military, financial and humanitarian aid to Ukraine, and the recent decision to deliver another 64 Patriot missiles to Ukraine.

This will save lives.

Today we also discussed our long-term support.

The Vilnius Summit in July will set out a vision for Ukraine’s future as an independent, democratic member of the Euro-Atlantic family.

At the Summit, Allies will address Ukraine’s membership aspirations.

Allies are working on a multi-year package of assistance for Ukraine.

We are also working to establish a new NATO-Ukraine Council to jointly consult on security issues of mutual concern.

The decisions we will take in Vilnius will bring Ukraine closer to NATO.

We also addressed bolstering NATO’s deterrence and defence.
This will be high on the agenda of our Summit.

We are now putting in place new regional plans, with assigned forces and capabilities, and high levels of readiness.

Germany will play a major part in this. You have already allocated thousands of troops to NATO, including through your leadership of our multinational battlegroup in Lithuania.

I welcome Germany's first-ever national security strategy, which confirms your strong commitment to NATO.

I am also thankful for Germany’s leadership in establishing a new NATO Maritime Centre for the Security of Critical Undersea Infrastructure.

This will increase our situational awareness and enhance our maritime presence.

Tomorrow, I will attend exercise Air Defender, the biggest air exercise in NATO’s history.

This is another demonstration of Germany’s capabilities and commitment, and sends a clear message that NATO remains ready to defend every inch of Allied territory.

To keep our people safe, we must continue to invest in our security.

At the NATO Summit in Vilnius, we will agree on a more ambitious defence investment pledge, with 2 percent of GDP as a floor, not a ceiling. And I strongly welcome Germany's historic commitment to reach 2 percent in 2024.

We also discussed the situation in Kosovo.

NATO’s commitment to our United Nations mandate is unwavering.
Our forces, the KFOR, will continue to take all necessary measures to ensure a safe and secure environment and freedom of movement for all communities in Kosovo.

We call on all parties to stop any further escalatory steps, and to return immediately to the dialogue facilitated by the European Union.

So Chancellor Scholz, dear Olaf,
Thank you again for Germany’s leadership in this critical time.

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