Keynote address

Great to be here and to see so many people I know so well. And of course, Teri, who will lead us later in the debate. And of course, you, Madam President, dear Valérie, thank you for your very warm welcome.

And let me start by saying that it is always a pleasure to be on this side of town, to be at the European Parliament.

This is my first public speaking engagement this year, and it is very meaningful to have this conversation with you - with the members of parliament.

At the NATO Summit in The Hague last summer, we decided to make our deterrence and defence a priority.

We agreed a plan, as you know, to invest 5% of GDP annually in defence by 2035 - with 3.5% on core defence, and 1.5% on defence- and security-related issues.

Yes, that is a lot of money, but it is what is required to build our armed forces and buy the capabilities those forces need to protect us.

And here we are talking about battle tanks, fighter jets, ships, long range missiles, and ammunition, but also artificial intelligence, cyber-defence, space capabilities, and of course, much more.

In The Hague, we also agreed to speed up defence production and innovation.

And this is of course about re-energising our industries across Europe and North America so that they step up supply.

There are certainly business opportunities for our industries. But it's more than that: there are real benefits for all of us. Because when supply goes up, the result is more security, more economic growth, and also many more jobs - the defence dividend.

The defence dividend is real.

I know - and you all know - that getting to this famous 5% and accelerating production requires hard work and tough decisions from all of us - all our nations and all your constituents.

But we need to do it. And we need to do it basically for two reasons.

One, because the security situation demands it. We need to be honest: the dangers we face are real, and the dangers we face are lasting.

Russia remains our most significant threat. Putin's war machine is churning out military equipment around the clock. And Moscow is testing us through cyber-attacks, sabotage and more.

And there is no reason to believe Russia's pattern of aggressive and reckless actions will change any time soon. On the contrary, Russia is seeking long-term confrontation.

And it is not alone. Russia is working with China, with Iran, and North Korea. And these countries fuel Moscow's war against Ukraine. And together, they are attempting to undermine our stability and security.

At the same time, the threat from terrorism persists, and instability remains rampant in NATO's southern neighbourhood.

The second reason why we need to deliver on the 5% is that the time when we conveniently let the United States carry the burden for our security is over.

The US is absolutely committed to NATO. But this commitment comes with a clear and long-standing expectation: that Europe and Canada take more responsibility for their own security. And I believe that is only fair.

So 5% must be the direction of travel.

There's basically no time to waste.

Ensuring Allies step up and speed up efforts on defence will remain my - and NATO's - absolute priority as we prepare for the next Summit, which will take place in Ankara, in Türkiye, in July.

Then Ukraine, which clearly is still a huge priority.

Because, as we all know, our security is inextricably linked to Ukraine's security.

Just last week, I was at the Coalition of the Willing meeting in Paris, where leaders discussed how we can support and secure the future for Ukraine.

It was a constructive meeting, where we had concrete discussions on robust security guarantees for Ukraine, and where Europe and the US affirmed their readiness to provide such guarantees to secure Ukraine after a peace deal with Russia.

Meanwhile, NATO continues to support Ukraine every day, and we do that in various ways, including through the PURL initiative, which supplies vital US equipment, including air defence - which is particularly vital these days - for Ukraine to protect its people and hold the front line, paid for by Allies.

Regardless of when this war ends, our support to Ukraine will continue to be important to ensure a lasting peace. After all, the Ukrainian Armed Forces will remain the first line of defence.

Supporting Ukraine and keeping our own people safe is not a job that NATO does alone.

It is a team effort. And the European Union is an essential player.

The partnership between NATO and the EU is growing stronger every day.

And that is exactly what we need.

Because, when we combine our strength, of NATO and the EU, we can more effectively tackle the many challenges we face.

And as you know, 23 nations, members of the EU, are also Allies in NATO.

And working together, we keep Ukraine strong today and able to defend itself against any aggression in the future.

And working together, we can produce more defence capabilities, and we can produce them faster. We can innovate better and outsmart our competitors.

Now is not the time to go it alone. And it's not the time to create barriers between us that would increase costs, complicate production, and hamper innovation.

Instead, we need to leverage our respective strengths even more.

NATO is strong at standard setting and capability targets that are informed by our defence plans. NATO has a strong command and control force structure. And the European Union has all the tools of the internal market at its disposal, and of course the convening power to bring together the Member States in the EU, so to make sure that the money is there to invest in defence.

So we complement each other.

And yes, it is undeniable that Russia, China, North Korea, and Iran are aligning more and more. And they're challenging us.

But they are only starting to understand what partnership really means.

We are miles ahead.

We can build on decades of friendship between our organisations and between our nations on both sides of the Atlantic.

And we can build on the growing partnerships with countries around the world.

And that is an incredible advantage. Let's ensure we retain it.

I'll certainly play my part. And I count on you - and I know I can - to play yours.

So thank you very much, and I look forward to our discussions.