So, good evening. We have a plane to catch so I cannot be too long and you have already, I think most of you were in the Oval Office. But I can only tell you that I had a tremendously good meeting with President Trump. I mean, the leadership he is providing when it comes to NATO, the summit in The Hague, the 5% effect that since Eisenhower, we never were able to equalize spending between what the Europeans and the Canadians are spending, what US is spending.
That at that summit we agreed on this famous 5%, including 3.5% on core defense spending is now equalizing what the Canadians and the Europeans are paying into NATO and the collective NATO effort to what the US is doing. So that was a big foreign policy success of President Trump. Europe is stepping up also in other domains, including when it comes to buying weapons from the US to be delivered into Ukraine.
Very important for the war effort. And today we particularly focus on how can we end the war? What can I do? What can NATO do to support President Trump's vision of ending this war, ending the killing in Ukraine. Including what we can do to make sure that Putin accepts the president's view, that the two parties should stop where they are, as he said on Friday and on Sunday, I totally support him and we will see how we can do that.
[Inaudible] that you could do something with Spain, the only country that doesn't pay 5%?
Now with Spain, I had many talks with the president of the government, Prime Minister Sanchez. We know each other very well. Spain has committed to deliver the capability targets. They are saying we can do it on a percentage lower than 3.5. I said, "You cannot," and we will pretty soon find out who is right.
Has the White House told you about specific security guarantees for Ukraine as part of the ceasefire?
Well, obviously we have discussed a lot of things and I cannot go to all the details because a lot of that is in the confidence of that conversation. But you have heard the president say a couple of weeks ago, this was around a meeting here with European leaders after Alaska on that Monday. And even before that meeting that he is willing for the US to participate in the security assurances, security guarantees for Ukraine.
This is clearly Europe and Canada working together with other countries like Japan and Australia in this coalition of the willing. But there has been a clear commitment by the US to participate.
What did Zelenskyy agree to --
Again.
What did Zelenskyy agree to? We would not know that like the security guarantees or what you give up to [Inaudible]
Well, what NATO is doing is trying collectively to sustain Ukraine in this fight. But, of course, we all want this fighting to end because we know that last month again, for example, the Russians lost over 20,000 people. Dead, not seriously wounded, dead in one month. They lost one million, the Russians, dead and seriously wounded since the war started.
They lose now more in one month than they lost in 10 years in the war in Afghanistan in the 1980s under Brezhnev and his successor, so that is not sustainable. And also Ukrainians, of course, suffering a lot today we have seen Russian missiles hitting a kindergarten in Ukraine and seriously wounding people there.
This is all extremely sad. It's got to end and that is what the president said from day one when he came into office. "I want the killing to stop." And I'm here to tell him, "Yes, we are up there. We want to support you. We want to make this happen."
Thank you. President Trump has indicated he believes in one [Inaudible] Do you share that view and when you're talking about what else NATO can do to help end the war, what new steps should we expect the alliance to take after this conversation?
When you look at the Russian side, they started this war, clearly is not moving in the right direction. And when you look at this year, let's say the territory they gained in Ukraine is extremely limited. And as I said, against enormous amount of people dying and getting seriously wounded. The Russian economy is in difficult situation.
We know we have these long lines into gasoline stations all over Russia at the moment. We know that the French president and others in Europe stepped up when it comes to the shadow fleet. And, of course, we have seen the pressure by the American president on some European countries to stop buying oil. So all of this is having an impact.
So I'm absolutely convinced that with sustained pressure, we will be able to get Putin to the table to agree with a ceasefire and then other talks coming after that. And you have seen it in the last couple of weeks, Alaska happened when the American President decided to do secondary sanctions on India buying Russian oil.
We have seen last week the call taking place when the President said, "I'm contemplating sending Tomahawks into Ukraine for Ukraine to be used." So this is clear evidence that we can change Putin's calculus. Yes.
[Inaudible] status on Crimea?
[Inaudible] conditions for the President to meet with Putin the next time. Should Russia have to give something up or make a commitment before President Trump agrees to meet?
Well, I think it was clear from what he said today that he feels at the moment, and I'm not going into the conversation we had because that, of course, is confidential, but you have heard him say, I think it was yesterday when you were there I think in the Oval Office in another setting and also tonight when I had the honor of visiting, that he feels they are not at a place yet where a meeting would be successful.
And clearly he was stating this weekend, "I want the war to end. I want a ceasefire. I want the killing to stop." So his position here, and I completely support this is, as he said, "Stop where you are," both to the Ukrainians as well to the Russians. Final question because I have to catch the plane.
[Inaudible]
Two, no. Please one. We have to run.
Thank you. President Trump implied that new nuclear arms agreements could be in discussion with Russia. What is NATO's stance, position on potential nuclear policy shift from the U.S.? Would it affect [Inaudible]
This is really up to America, to the United States. As you know, the nuclear umbrella is the ultimate guarantor of European and American safety. And I think the American President engaging with other countries and seeing what can you do to de-escalate any tensions when it comes to nuclear is always applaudable and commendable.
But I should not comment because it's not for NATO. This is really the U.S. in bilateral relations with, in this case, I understand the Russians and China. Final question then I really have to go.
Are you not concerned that every time Vladimir Putin speaks to President Trump, President Trump appears then to go to his position, that there is flip-flopping by the U.S. President and that we could be talking in a week from now and things will have gone back, he'll have gone back to the Russian camp?
Well, I don't buy that and I don't agree with that.
Right.
Because here's the case. You guys live in the most powerful country in the world, but most powerful military. You have a President who, when I visited him first in Mar-a-Lago last year, November when he still had to be inaugurated, but after he won the election, said, "Mark, I want the killing to end. I want the meat grinder to stop.
I want no more people lost." This is extremely close to his heart. And then, given his powerful position and his vision on this, he's the only one who can sit down with Putin and get him to change this calculus and give him a bit of bandwidth to do that. I mean, that is in his remit and he is doing it in a way I completely support.
Now, I really have to go. See you next time.
At the UN, he said.
We have to go.
Thank you. Bye-bye.
At the UN, he said --
Thank you. Thank you, guys.