NATO Secretary General press conference with the President of Latvia Egils Levits, 8 March 2022.
🗣 | NATO Secretary General:
President Levits,
Dear Egils,
Thank you so much for this warm welcome.
It is always a pleasure to be in Latvia and to meet with you again.
We just had an important discussion about Russia’s brutal invasion of Ukraine.
And the implications for our security.
The Ukrainian people and armed forces have inspired the world with their courage.
But President Putin’s assault continues.
And the humanitarian impact is devastating.
Many civilians have been killed or wounded.
And 2 million people have fled Ukraine.
This is Europe's fastest-growing refugee crisis since the Second World War.
There are very credible reports of civilians coming under fire as they try to evacuate.
Targeting civilians is a war crime.
And it is totally unacceptable.
We need real humanitarian corridors that are fully respected.
We made clear for months that President Putin would pay a high price for renewed aggression against Ukraine.
And this price is exactly what he is paying now.
Russia has been hit with severe and unprecedented sanctions.
And near-total isolation on the world stage.
Allies are helping Ukraine to uphold its fundamental right to self-defence.
Stepping up with billions of euros worth of support.
And opening their borders and providing aid for refugees.
The suffering we now see in Ukraine is horrific.
It affects us all.
And we have a responsibility to ensure the conflict does not escalate and spread beyond Ukraine.
That would be even more dangerous, destructive, and even more deadly.
And the situation could spiral out of control.
To make sure there is no room for miscalculation in Moscow, NATO has significantly strengthened our presence in the eastern part of our Alliance.
We have 130 jets at high alert.
Over 200 ships from the High North to the Mediterranean.
And thousands of additional troops in the region.
Including at NATO’s multinational battlegroup in Adazi,
Which I will visit later this afternoon.
Allies including Canada, the United States, and Spain are deploying hundreds of additional troops here.
We will protect and defend every inch of Latvia.
And we will protect and defend every inch of all Allied territory.
North America and Europe together, standing strong in NATO – the strongest alliance in history.
President Levits,
NATO stands united at this critical moment for our shared security.
Thank you again for hosting me here today.
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