Check against delivery! 

Good morning,

It is great to see so many of you so early in the morning here.

Today we are going to discuss with the European Defence Ministers what more we can do to help Ukraine, and also what we can do really fast for our own defence.

We have proposed a White Paper on Defence, Preparedness 2030 – so, how we can get ready. Of course, there are a lot of elements that need to be discussed when it comes to funding, when it comes to common procurement, [and] when it comes to also flagship projects.

So, I expect thorough and intense discussions today.

Thank you. I can take your questions.

Q&A 
Q. Only about 10 defence Ministers will be here today. What do you think this signal is towards the world, if only 10 of 27 show up today?
I do not know the numbers. Yesterday there were a lot of Ministers. I actually did not count them. Hopefully today there are as many. Of course we have many formats. I am also coming from here to NATO where we have the NATO Foreign Ministers Meeting [inaudible]. So it is extremely important we [not] only do meet but also do those things that we agree.

Q. [inaudible] the US Trade war affect that? [inaudible] defence cooperation?
There are no winners in trade wars. It is clear that all these tariffs will raise prices for the consumers, and, in the end, we get to pay for everything. Of course, the defence cooperation that we have with the Americans is also very important. When we have the White Paper, we also think about what more can we do about our own defence industry, because we are buying a lot from the Americans right now. But we need to diversify our portfolio so that we have capabilities to produce here – the ammunition and things that we need here – and also to be able to buy from other allies, so that we have a diversified portfolio in this regard.

Q. The Paper says that the first year will be crucial. What can we say that White Paper – the Strategy for Rearmament – is working or not. When is the deadline? When can we assess the real deeds?
Well, it is like you say. The question is about implementation. It is not the paper, but actually the projects that we are going to implement. What is good is that there is a lot of willingness to move fast. Also, the European Defence Agency has a role here to help with the common procurement. 2030 is a deadline that we have put, but I think it is too far. I think we need to move faster. My feeling is, and it is also the common understanding from the Defence Ministers, that we need to move faster.

Q. Do you think there is enough solidarity?
Yes, there is. If we have been talking about [it]. Of course, the question is [having] not only words but also deeds, that we need to see. Europe is – we are – strong when we are together. There are different countries that have different worries, and we have always been supportive with those who have worries – even if those countries on the other side of Europe do not have those. We have always been [there] for each other; I hope it is also so in the future. 

Q. [inaudible] the agreement today on 2 million rounds
These things are moving very well. My point is: we need to get the help to Ukraine as fast as possible. President Zelenskyy has said that they need [€]5 billion to have at least 2 million rounds. And I am glad to see that actually we already have different proposals – or different countries are coming [up] with their input to this. So, we have already over 50% of what is needed. Today, I also expect that countries will declare what more they can do and what more they will actually do in a very short term to help Ukraine because the stronger they are on the battlefield, the stronger they are behind the negotiation table.

Thank you. 

• Link to the video: https://audiovisual.ec.europa.eu/en/video/I-270273