Brussels 03.12.2024 Ahead of the meeting of NATO Ministers of Foreign Affairs in Brussels 3-4 Dec 2024 the Secretary General Mark Rutte addressed press representatives.

“Today, as you know, and tomorrow, NATO Foreign Ministers will meet and we have many urgent security issues to discuss.

“This afternoon we will welcome His Majesty King Abdullah II of Jordan to our meeting. The King has been a guest at NATO many times, but this will be the first time he is participating in a meeting of NATO Foreign Ministers.

“Jordan is one of NATO’s most important partners in the Middle East. We will open our NATO Liaison Office in Amman soon. And this is an important step in making our deep relationships in the region even stronger.
I am therefore grateful for King Abdullah’s presence. We will discuss the ongoing conflict in the Middle East and its impact on Euro-Atlantic security.

“This evening we will have a working dinner of the NATO-Ukraine Council, for the first time with Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha.
The new EU High Representative, Kaja Kallas, will also join us. Because NATO and the EU must work closely together in our support for Ukraine.
Ukraine is entering another crucial winter. And Russia’s aggression shows no sign of abating. Just the opposite, Putin is ramping up his rhetoric and reckless actions. He is using Ukraine as a testing ground for experimental missiles and is deploying North Korean soldiers in this illegal war.

“Putin is not interested in peace. He is pressing on, trying to take more territory. Because he thinks he can break Ukraine’s resolve. And ours. But he is wrong.

“Ukraine has a right to defend itself.
And we have a duty to help them.
So we need to continue our steadfast support.

“In Washington, Allies agreed a financial pledge of 40 billion euros of security assistance for this year and we remain committed to this pledge.
And I very much welcome recent announcements of more military aid by the US, Germany, Sweden, Estonia, Lithuania, Norway.
This is great news.

“We are setting up our new NATO Command in Wiesbaden to coordinate security assistance and training for Ukraine. This makes our support more steadfast, and also sustainable. But we will all need to do more.
Especially now. The stronger our military support to Ukraine is now, the stronger their hand will be at the negotiating table. And the sooner we can end Russian aggression once and for all in Ukraine.
Tomorrow, ministers will address Russia’s hostile actions in NATO countries.

“Over the past years, Russia and also China have tried to destabilise our nations with acts of sabotage, cyber-attacks and energy blackmail.
To intimidate us. None of these actions will deter us from supporting Ukraine or making our own defences stronger. NATO Allies will continue to stand together to face these threats through a range of measures, including greater intelligence sharing and better protection of our critical infrastructure”.