Joint press conference with NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg with the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, Rishi Sunak

Thanks so much.
Prime Minister Sunak, dear Rishi,

It is great to be here in Poland together with you today.

The United Kingdom is a highly valued and staunch and essential NATO Ally.
Contributing greatly to our shared security in so many different ways.

You lead NATO forces in Estonia.
British jets help guard the skies over our Eastern flank.
The Royal Navy helps keep critical sea-lanes open.

The United Kingdom is also at the centre of Exercise Steadfast Defender, currently underway and involving more than 16,000 British military personnel.

And we are today, here in Poland with British troops, a physical embodiment of your commitment to NATO.

So, thank you to all of you.

Prime Minister, your announcement today confirms the vital role the UK plays in our Alliance.

The United Kingdom will spend 2.5% of GDP on defence by 2030.

Allies agreed at our Summit in Vilnius last year that 2% is a minimum.

And, once again, the UK is leading by example.

Just as you did in 2014, after the illegal annexation of Crimea, when you were one of the first Allies to provide training and military support to Ukraine.
And after the full-scale invasion in 2022, you stepped up significantly, training thousands of Ukrainian soldiers and providing billions of pounds of military assistance.

And today, your announcement of additional support, including more ammunition, air defence and deep precision strike capabilities shows once again, the British people's commitment to Ukraine.

I welcome your cast iron commitment to continue these levels of support to Ukraine for as long as needed.
In NATO, we are now addressing how to put our support for Ukraine on a more robust and predictable footing, including with a multi-year financial commitment.

So Prime Minister, your commitment sets us on the right direction.
I also welcome that other Allies are taking action, not least Poland, which provides key capabilities to Ukraine, and hosts 1 million Ukrainian refugees.

Over the weekend, the US House of Representatives approved a major aid package for Ukraine.
This will enable the US to provide substantial additional support to Ukraine quickly.
And last Friday, NATO Defence Ministers agreed to further bolster Ukraine's air defences.
Germany's delivery of another Patriot system is imminent, and other Allies made concrete commitments in that NATO meeting, with deliveries expected soon.

Faced with the biggest conflict on the European continent since the Second World War, our decisions today will have consequences for generations to come.
We must not falter.

We live in a more dangerous world, authoritarian powers are increasingly aligned.
Russia is receiving support for its war of aggression from China, Iran and North Korea.

This reminds us that security is not regional, security is global.
And we must work with our like-minded partners around the world to preserve and protect transatlantic security. NATO is a defensive alliance.
We do not seek conflict with Russia.
But we will keep our 1 billion people safe.
The ten thousand NATO troops based here in Poland, send an unmistakable message that NATO will protect and defend all Allies.

So Prime Minister Sunak, thank you again, for UK's vital contributions to NATO.
Thank you.

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