Press conference

Good afternoon, and thank you for joining us today for the launch of our 2025 Annual Report.

This report is basically a summary of what we have discussed, what we have decided, and also what we have done as NATO throughout 2025.

And it was quite an eventful year.

We see clearly that our world is constantly changing. And we are adapting to ensure we remain prepared.

Putin's war of aggression continued, as did support for Russia's war from China, from Iran, North Korea, and Belarus.

We saw increasingly reckless Russian behaviour in the context of NATO territory - whether through airspace violations or hybrid threats.

China continued its military buildup.

The threat from terrorism persisted.

The threat picture across 2025 made clear the need to do more. And throughout the year, NATO continued to come together to ensure that we are ready and able to respond to any threat, across all domains, both now and in the future.

Last year, NATO began a new chapter in our common defence.

We recognised, collectively, that this complex and more dangerous security environment called for a bolder approach, one that demands a stronger, a fairer, and a more lethal Alliance.

And that is why, at the NATO Summit in The Hague, Allies took a historic decision to raise defence investment to 5% of GDP.

And as Allies are now allocating more to invest in crucial capabilities, we need to ensure that the supply meets our demand.

So we also agreed to ramp up defence production and innovation, to ensure our industries can provide what our militaries need.

These were defining decisions that will shape the future of our Alliance for years to come.

The figures in the report speak for themselves.

We have made significant progress on defence investment, and NATO is stronger today than it has ever been.

In 2025, for the first time, all Allies met the goal agreed in 2014 - to invest at least 2% of their GDP on defence. And many went much further.

In fact, we saw [a] 20% increase in what Europe and Canada spent on defence in 2025 as compared with 2024.

Continuing this crucial trend will be a priority in the years to come.

For too long, European Allies and Canada were over-reliant on US military might.

We did not take enough responsibility for our own security.

But there has been a real shift in mindset.

A collective recognition of our changed security environment.

And as a European, I am proud of what we are doing - the tremendous progress being made.

We are investing because it is crucial to be able to address the threats we face.

Russia remains the most significant and direct threat to security in the Euro-Atlantic area.

In the past year, Russia has tried to test our security, and disrupt and divide our societies - whether through airspace violations, sabotage and malign cyber activities, or political interference and information threats.

NATO's response to reckless provocation - whether from Russia or others - has been clear, swift and decisive.

Damage to our critical undersea infrastructure prompted the creation of Baltic Sentry to better guard against potential threats to our undersea infrastructure.

In September, airspace violations from Russian drones over Poland led to the creation of Eastern Sentry, further strengthening Allied deterrence along the eastern flank, from the High North to the Black Sea.

Through both Baltic and Eastern Sentry, we are testing new solutions and integrating innovation, including through the use of drones and counter-drone technologies.

And as we continue to invest in the deterrence and defence of the whole of NATO, we also continue to provide crucial support to Ukraine.

Our security is so closely connected.

And that's why in 2025 Allies provided the overwhelming majority of military assistance to Ukraine.

This was in addition to ongoing humanitarian support and other forms of non-lethal aid.

In February 2025, we opened JATEC in Poland - the first joint NATO-Ukraine centre to share lessons learned from the war.

In the summer of 2025, we launched PURL, providing billions of Euros worth of vital American military hardware to Ukraine, paid for by NATO Allies and partners.

We continued to deliver crucial support - through NSATU, our command in Wiesbaden - and we worked with Allies and partners who formed the Coalition of the Willing in 2025 to ensure that, once the war comes to an end, there are security guarantees in place to secure the peace.

2025 was a landmark year for NATO. This is clearly demonstrated and documented in this annual report, which I am proud to share with you today.

And with that, I am ready to take your questions.