Remarks

This is the last big meeting we will have before the Ankara Summit. And the Ankara Summit will all be about implementation. What we are seeing now is that NATO 3.0 is really happening. A stronger Europe in a stronger NATO. Your first visit to NATO was in February last year, and you gave a very strong speech about spending more, getting the production up, but also to make sure that it's a fair deal with the United States.

You said we are committed to NATO, but you also have an expectation. The expectation is that Europeans will at least equalise with what the US is spending. And they had to, not only because you were asking, but also because we got to keep ourselves safe. And these are the capability targets we need to deliver. And we committed to this in The Hague, but now it's coming on. It's happening. So, almost 100 billion, over $90 billion more in 2025, almost a 20% increase in Canada and in Europe.

So, thank you for your guidance last year and your spirited speech, but also thank you for what you were doing when it comes to the defence industrial base. It's crucial. We need to produce more, both in the US and in Europe, to keep ourselves safe. And this is a big priority of you and the team and the President: Opening up the defence industrial base in the US. We are doing the same in Europe and Canada, because we have to not only keep up, we have to do better than China, Russia, and others who are at this moment rapidly expanding their defence industrial output. So, for all these reasons, thank you for what you are doing, for your leadership, your commitment, and thank you for being here today.