NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg on Friday (11 February 2022) took part in a virtual meeting organised by the President of the United States Joe Biden on Russia’s continued military build-up in and around Ukraine, and its implications for European and international security.
The meeting also included British Prime Minister Boris Johnson, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, French President Emmanuel Macron, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, Italian Prime Minister Mario Draghi, Polish President Andrzej Duda, Romanian President Klaus Iohannis, as well as the President of the European Council Charles Michel and the President of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen.
Participants made clear that any further Russian aggression against Ukraine would come at a high cost, while reiterating that they were ready to continue dialogue with Russia. The NATO Secretary General warned that the risk of conflict in Europe is real and welcomed the recent additional defensive deployments by NATO Allies to the eastern part of the Alliance. Mr Stoltenberg thanked President Biden for continued close consultation with Allies, adding that NATO Defence Ministers will discuss next week how to further strengthen NATO’s defensive posture.
Leaders also agreed on the importance of continued dialogue with Russia. NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg recalled that he has invited Russia and all other members of the NATO-Russia Council to further meetings to discuss European security, including the situation in and around Ukraine, NATO-Russia relations, transparency and risk reduction, and arms control.