Press conference

Good afternoon, thank you for being here.

It has almost become a habit to say that we meet at a time of unprecedented security challenges.

But it is true: the security environment continues to evolve.

And yet, in spite of challenges thrown at us, we remain steady on safeguarding the security of more than one billion people across the Euro-Atlantic area.

That is what we do at NATO, around the clock, and what we have focussed on, during this 2-day meeting.

We began by paying tribute to the men and women in uniform who work -24/7- often silently, to keep our nations safe.

And we honoured those who have been wounded, and who made the ultimate sacrifice: their example reminds us that security is never given or assumed.

From our discussions, three main conclusions stand out.

First: the Alliance is united. We may have robust exchanges of views, at times, but I saw a clear and distinctive convergence: on the military threats we face, and on the direction of travel we must undertake.

Second: the Alliance is resilient. We are absorbing shocks and learning fast, so we are ready in this demanding environment.

Third: the Alliance is dynamic, not static; we are adapting, because we must, in order to deliver on our core tasks.

Our motto: adapt while we deter.

We have demonstrated this ability constantly, throughout the last year; and effectively, in face of all circumstances.

My fellow Strategic Commanders - SACEUR and SACT -will elaborate on how we keep on doing that, by turning a steady approach to security into practical military effects.

A few points from our discussion stand out:

Our support to Ukraine remains strong, as our number one priority. Because Ukraine's fight is not only about Ukraine, it is about our collective security too.

Ukrainian fight is our fight.

All the initiatives we have in place to contribute to the right of Ukraine to defend itself are delivering, and all Allies are committed in contributing.

But we can and we must do more.

And our support will endure.

In this respect: let me praise the Ukrainian soldiers, as I did with their Chief of Armed Force, in videoconference.

Their courage, discipline, resilience, adaptability and determination are truly exemplary.

Looking at the future peace, hopefully soon, we also had a fruitful discussion on the ongoing efforts carried out by the Coalition of Willing, in synch with the Alliance mission.

After Ukraine, we discussed security on a 360-degree perspective, across all domains: in Europe, on the Southern Flank, and across the North Atlantic.

We also discussed the Arctic, of course, a region of strategic relevance for NATO, where we have military exercises and training activities already pre-planned, for the months to come.

On another topic, we also confirmed that the time to invest smarter and faster in capabilities and new technologies is now, taking stock of the commitments made in The Hague, turning pledges into delivery.

And we all agree about the need to convey this sense of urgency to the political authorities, and to the defence industry, as our objective is to have an Alliance "ready to fight tonight."

One final point to note: after a very constructive consultation, we also approved a successful distribution of all command responsibilities in the NATO Command Structure, among the 32 Allies. A true demonstration of fair, responsible burden sharing.

To conclude, let me highlight how none of this could be achieved by working in isolation.

All Allies recognised the value of cooperating with our partners across the globe in dealing with security, which is not anymore regional. It is global.

Many Allies also recognised how our collaboration and complementarity with the European Union remain key, and that a stronger EU means a stronger NATO.

Meetings with Indo-Pacific partners (Australia, New Zealand, Japan and the Republic of Korea), as well as with Georgia and Ukraine, have been another great opportunity to further deepen this valuable cooperation, an integral part of our daily work.

Without further ado, l hand over to SACEUR, and then SACT.

Then, to your questions. Thank you for your attention.