Joint press conference by NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg with Prime Minister of Estonia, Kaja Kallas and President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen in Tallinn, Estonia, 24 February 2023.
🗣 | NATO Secretary General:
Prime Minister Kallas, dear Kaja,
Congratulations on Estonia’s Independence Day!
President von der Leyen, dear Ursula,
It is an honour to be together with both of you here, in Tallinn today on this very symbolic day.
Over a hundred years ago, Estonian troops fought bravely for their freedom and independence.
Independence was short lived, but the Estonian people never gave up.
And with the fall of the Iron Curtain, you regained your freedom.
And thank you so much for inviting me to be part of the celebrations today, the flag rising ceremony and the wreath laying ceremony was really moving.
It demonstrates how much you value your freedom.
Your history is a strong reminder that we cannot take our freedom for granted.
Freedom is not for free.
We must fight for it every day.
Today, it is the Ukrainian people who are bravely fighting for their freedom.
And despite a dark year of despair and destruction, their determination and courage will no doubt prevail.
One year ago, President Putin launched his full-fledged invasion of Ukraine.
An illegal war of aggression.
In blatant breach of basic international rules.
He wanted to break the will of the Ukrainian people.
And he wanted to break our unity.
President Putin failed.
Ukraine stands.
And NATO and the EU stand with Ukraine.
Yet, Putin has not given up his goals.
He wants a different Europe.
Where Russia can dictate what neighbours do.
He is not preparing for peace.
He is preparing for more war.
So we must give Ukraine what they need to prevail.
Some worry our support to Ukraine risks triggering escalation.
But there are no risk-free options.
And the biggest risk of all is if President Putin wins.
Because the message to him and other authoritarian leaders would be that they can use force to get what they want.
That would make the world more dangerous.
And us more vulnerable.
So supporting Ukraine is not just morally the right thing to do.
It is also in our own security interest.
That is why NATO Allies are providing unprecedented support to Ukraine.
Working hand in hand with the European Union.
Again, Estonia is leading by example.
Providing more military aid as a share of GDP than any other country.
NATO presence protects the space for Allies to provide this support.
Since 2014, we have significantly reinforced our presence and readiness.
From the Black to the Baltic Sea.
Including here in Estonia.
NATO’s multinational battlegroup in Tapa, led by the United Kingdom, deters aggression.
Fighters from France and Germany help protect your skies.
And NASAMS from Spain will augment your air defences.
All this sends a clear message to Moscow. NATO will protect and defend Estonia.
And every inch of Allied territory.
Our article 5 commitment is ironclad.
All for one, and one for all.
And at our Vilnius Summit in July,
we will take further steps to strengthen our collective defence.
We also see progress as regards the historic accession of Finland and Sweden into our Alliance, two close neighbours of Estonia.
28 out of 30 Allies have already ratified the accession protocols.
I had good discussions with President Erdogan in Ankara last week.
We agreed to restart the talks and to convene a trilateral meeting between Finland, Sweden and Türkiye at NATO Headquarters in mid-March under my auspices.
To discuss the implementation of the agreement made last June and how to complete the accession process.
And it is good that the Hungarian parliament will start the ratification process next week.
Our aim is for both Finland and Sweden to join as soon as possible.
This will strengthen their security.
It will strengthen Europe’s security.
And it will strengthen NATO.
So dear Kaja, dear Ursula,
Thank you once again, for our excellent discussions and not least your strong commitment to the strong transatlantic bond for North America and Europe, standing together to protect our freedom. Thank you.
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