(3 Apr 2025)
RESTRICTION SUMMARY:
++SOUNDBITES SEPARATED BY BLACK FRAMES++
ASSOCIATED PRESS
Brussels – 3 April 2025
1. SOUNDBITE (English) Mark Rutte, NATO Secretary General:
"Good morning to all of you. We’re looking forward to this foreign ministers’ meeting. It will be the first for Marco Rubio to attend so we will welcome him. And we will discuss, of course, a lot of things, but particularly, of course, focusing on ramping up defense spending. And here great things are happening. Over the last couple of months, we literally see hundreds of billions of euros/dollars rolling in. Look at what the Germans have announced. Europeans have announced, many other countries have announced. So this is probably the biggest increase in defense spending here on the European side of NATO since the end of the Cold War."
++BLACK FRAMES++
2. SOUNDBITE (English) Mark Rutte, NATO Secretary General:
"But I think all of these discussions, there will be a common thread, which is Ukraine, how to keep Ukraine in the fight, how to make sure that we keep on delivering what is necessary for Ukraine to sustain in the fight, including the military aid to Ukraine."
++BLACK FRAMES++
3. SOUNDBITE (English) Mark Rutte, NATO Secretary General:
"I think the reception will be very positive. This is not a meeting about, of course, the economic issues and subjects. We are really focused. The focus here of all 32 is how to defend NATO territory against the Russians, our long term threat, which will be there even after I hope there will be a deal on Ukraine. The Russian threat will be there for many years to come."
++BLACK FRAMES++
4. SOUNDBITE (English) Mark Rutte, NATO Secretary General:
"The good news is that President Trump broke the deadlock on Ukraine, has started a dialogue with Ukrainians and the Russians. We fully support this. I personally gave my commitment. Whatever we can do, we will help. And the Americans have been absolutely clear that a deal, be it a ceasefire deal or a full deal on Ukraine has to be lasting, has to be endured, and you have to make sure that Putin will never, ever try again to capture 1square kilometer or 1 square mile of Ukraine in the future."
5. Rutte leaving briefing
STORYLINE:
NATO is sharply focused on supporting Ukraine, the secretary general said Thursday ahead of a meeting of the alliance’s top diplomats that will be attended by U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio.
"We are really focused. The focus here of all 32 is how to defend NATO territory against the Russians, our long term threat," said Mark Rutte, ahead of the summit in Brussels.
Rutte stressed that the talks would be purely centered on defense and would not address sweeping tariffs announced by Trump on Wednesday.
European allies and Canada are deeply concerned by President Donald Trump’s readiness to draw closer to Russian leader Vladimir Putin, who sees NATO as a threat, as the U.S. works to broker a ceasefire in Ukraine.
Recent White House comments and insults directed at NATO allies Canada and Denmark — as well as the military alliance itself — have raised alarm and confusion, especially with new U.S. tariffs targeting U.S. friends and foes alike.
Since Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth warned last month that U.S. security priorities lie elsewhere — in Asia and on the U.S.’s own borders — the Europeans have waited to learn how big a military drawdown in Europe could be and how fast it may happen.
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