NATO Secretary General, Press Conference at Foreign Ministers Meeting, Oslo, Norway ???????? 01 JUN

Press conference by NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg following the Informal meeting of NATO Ministers of Foreign Affairs in Oslo, Norway, 1 June 2023.

???? | NATO Secretary General:

Good afternoon.

We have just finished our informal Foreign Ministerial meeting.
Let me start by thanking Foreign Minister Anniken Huitfeldt for hosting this meeting in a wonderful setting.
And let me also thank His Majesty King Harald V for his hospitality last night.

This meeting was an opportunity to discuss key issues as we prepare for our Summit in Vilnius in July.
We had good and constructive discussions on our ambitious agenda.

We will take decisions to further strengthen our deterrence and defence.
Agree a new Defence Investment Pledge,
with 2 % of GDP on defence as the minimum.
And deepen our partnerships with our partners in the Indo-Pacific region.

Our focus today was on how we can bring Ukraine closer to NATO, where it belongs.

NATO is already providing unprecedented assistance.
I am confident that Ukrainian forces now have the capabilities they need to liberate more occupied land.
But we need to do more.

We are working on a multi-year package of support.
With robust funding.

This will ensure Ukraine’s deterrence and defence for the longer-term,
help rebuild its security and defence sector,
and transition Ukraine from Soviet-era doctrines, equipment and training
to full interoperability with NATO.

We also discussed upgrading the existing NATO-Ukraine Commission
to a new NATO-Ukraine Council.

This would be a significant step.
To establish a joint consultative forum with Ukraine, sitting at the table as equals.
To discuss key issues for our security.

We also addressed Ukraine’s membership aspirations.

All Allies agree that NATO’s door remains open.
That it is only for Allies and Ukraine to make decisions on membership.
Russia does not have a veto.

And all Allies agree that Ukraine will become a member of NATO.

And we all agree that the most important thing now is to ensure that Ukraine prevails as a sovereign and independent state.

We don’t know when the war ends.
But we must ensure that, when it does, we have credible arrangements in place to guarantee Ukraine’s security in the future.
And to break Russia’s cycle of aggression.

We had a good discussion on all these issues.
And I am confident that we will come to consensus by the summit in Vilnius.

I am also working hard to ensure that Sweden’s accession to NATO is completed as soon as possible.
I spoke to President Erdogan earlier this week, and I intend to travel to Turkiye in the near future.
And I welcome that Sweden’s new anti-terrorism laws have come into force today.
That shows that Sweden has delivered on what they committed to do under the Trilateral Memorandum concluded last year in Madrid.
And demonstrates that Sweden’s swift accession will contribute to Alliance security.

And with that I am ready to take your questions.
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