in brussels. we accomplished a lot with respect to nato. for years, presidents have been coming to these meetings and talked about the tremendous expense for the united states and tremendous progress has been made. everyone has agreed to substantially increase their commitment.

[indistinct chatter] [cameras shuttering] >> welcome to brussels. we are back in brussels. great news. great news. it's also great news for the world. and we are delighted to work with you together on important challenges. president biden: i think we have a great opportunity to work with the e.u. as well as nato. we are feeling very good about it. we find the reception to be good. america is back. maybe we never fully left, but we reasserting. it's in the overwhelming interest of the united states of america to have a great relationship with nato and with the e.u. i'm looking forward to talking to you-all about what we are about to do. >> very warm welcome from my country. we are excited to have you here. it's an honor. as america changed, europe changed. we wanted to reassure you we are allies and very much looking forward to working together. president biden: we have great opportunity. thank you very much. thank you. mr. riedl: mr. president, would you agree -- reporter: mr. president, would you agree -- president biden: do i agree on -- reporter: after you are -- preside

the jessage i delivered in brussels was expected. it was well received by my defense ministers and aligned with the message of secretary general. i stand here with you. i'm confident that our alliance will be unified in meeting today's security challenges and i'm also confident that the alliance will adopt a plan this year to make steady progress towards meeting wausau and wales' commitments. ladies and gentlemen, the transatlantic bond is our strongest bulwark. nato exists to protect our way of life to include the free exchange of ideas that characterizes this annual conferences in one of the world's greatest cities. will strengthen our partnerships and thank you very much for having me with you today. thank you. [applause] >> mr. secretary, on behalf of all of us, let me thank you. we want to see you back he

this was ahead of next week's nato meeting in brussels. >> madam minister, welcome back to the pentagon. you have been here more than i have been here for the past several years. it is good to have a veteran alongside me as i go into these first weeks. i'm very happy to meet you. of course i will see you again in a week in germany, in both munich, but also in brussels, meet at theill ministers of defense meeting. you know our high regard for germany as an ally. it has been tested over many years. it has always stood the test of time. i think we have many common interests, which is why a look forward to talking to you today, and of course next week. in my previous roles, i have served with your forces many times, and i have the highest regard for them, from my headquarters in those days in norfolk, where i had german officers on my staff, but more than that, any military that goes into combat operations get audited by the toughest auditor in the world, the battleground. your troops, the leadership, the maturity, the ethical performance by your troops, has been an example for others and o

the message i delivered in brussels was expected. it was well received by my fellow defense ministers and aligned with the message of the secretary-general. i stand here with you. i'm confident that our alliance will be unified in meeting today's security challenges and i'm also confident that the alliance will adopt a plan this year, including milestone dates, to make steady progress toward meeting warsaw and wales' commitments to carry our fair share for the security burden. ladies and gentlemen, the transatlantic bond is our strongest bulwark against instability and violence. nato exists to protect our way of life to include the free exchange of ideas that characterizes this annual conference in one of the world's greatest cities. here i am confident we will strengthen our partnerships and confronting those who choose to attack innocent people or our democratic processes and our freedoms. thank you very much for having me with you today. thank you. [applause] >> thank you. secretary, on behalf of all of us let me thank you. , we w

president trump is in brussels for a summit of nato leaders. thefirst meeting was with general secretary. he spoke briefly before their meeting. good morning everybody. we have a very good relationship. because of me they have raised $40 million over the past year. i think the secretary-general likes trump. he may be the only one, but that is ok with me. we will discuss how we can make the summit successful. europe and north america is finally together. [inaudible] >> over the last year, $40 billion has been given by other countries to help nato. that is not nearly enough. the united states is paying too much in other countries are not paying enough. we are going to have a meeting on that. the secretary-general has worked very hard on that. he understands the problem and hopefully we can get it resolved. it has been going on for decades. and notsproportionate fair to the taxpayers of the united states. we are going to make it fair. i want to complement the secretary-general. we have worked very hard on the problem. he understands better than an

support for the countries of eastern europe and nato on the opening day today of the nato summit in brussels. president trump is there. welcomed this morning by nato secretary-general jan stoltenberg. president trump: good morning, everybody. we have a very good relationship. because of me they have raised about $40 billion over the last year. i think the secretary-general likes trump. he may be the only one, but that's ok with me. >> we will discuss how we can make this summit success. showing that europe and north american stand together. and will continue to focus on his understanding. that will be the main topic to -- president can trump: over the last year, about $40 billion more has been given by other countries to help nato, but that's not nearly enough. the united states is paying far too much. and other countries are not paying enough. especially some. so we're going to have a meeting on that. and the secretary-general has worked very hard on that. he understands the problem and hopefully we can get it resolved. it's been going on for decades. for decades. disproportionate and not f

before boarding air force one for his departure to brussels, the president spoke briefly to reporters on the tarmac at heathrow airport. >> how was the queen? pres. biden: very nice. extremely gracious. not surprising. she wanted to know about the two leaders i wanted to meet with, mr. putin and xi jinping. we had a long talk and she was very generous. i don't think she would be insulted, but she reminded me of my mother in terms of the look of her and the generosity. i said, ma'am, it's been a long time. she said, i wish we could stay longer. maybe we can hold the cars up a minute. she was very gracious. >> what was the castle like? pres. biden: she said we could fit the white house in the courtyard. she said, what's it like in the white house? a lot of people. i know. she said, where we are going is private. the public can go in the other end. very gracious. >> did you invite her to the white house? pres. biden: yes. >> thank you. pres. biden: are you guys going on -- >> we are coming with you. pres. biden: good. >> come say hi. >> monday, right house press secretary jen psaki brave

summit in brussels, belgium today, greeted by the european union and european commission presidents. [indiscernible conversations] [indiscernible conversations] [speaking french] quacks -- fax >> welcome to brussels. we are delighted to work with you. president biden: it is a great opportunity to work with the eu as well as nato. we are feeling very good about it. we had a fine reception. we are reasserting contact. it is in the overwhelming interest of the united states of america to have a great relationship with nato and with the eu. i am looking forward to talking with you all about what we are about to do. >> [indiscernible] and we really appreciate that. america has changed, europe has changed couple but we wanted to read -- europe has changed, but we wanted to reassure you that we are friends and allies. >> did you agree on [indiscernible] four afghanistan -- for afghanistan? [indiscernible] president biden: we had long discussions and i feel very good about our meeting. >> you have an agreement -- do you have an agreement on airbus and boeing? [indiscernible conversations] >>

headquarters in brussels. this runs about half an hour. [gavel] >> colleagues, i think we are ready to start. good afternoon and good morning to all of you, and welcome to this meeting of nato leaders with our close partners, finland, sweden, and the european union. russia has shattered peace on the european continent. what we have warned against for months has come to pass. despite all our efforts to find a diplomatic solution. there is a small possibility of the deliberate, cold-blooded, and long-planned invasion. we condemn russia's aggressions in the strongest possible terms. i call on russia to immediately seize its military -- cease its military action. we stand with the brave people of ukraine. we fully support ukraine's sovereignty and territorial integrity, its right of self-defense, and its right to choose its own path. this ends the public part of the meeting. >> good evening, allied leaders.

a very warm welcome to brussels and the e.u. president biden: thank you very much. it's been one of the great pleasures in our present positions. with the g.7 again today,

i'll meet with friends and allies in europe at a gathering of nato in brussels. at the g-7 summit in italy. i will say thank you to some of the courageous men and women of the united states military serving their nation overseas. i pledgedin or dress to strengthen america's oldest friendships, to seek new partners in pursuit of peace and to always put american people first. i also pledged that our partners must to that they are partners. financiallyntribute to the tremendous costs, the .oney we're spending is so big it is so much. it is not fair for our nation. they have to help. i'm sure that they will. excited about new possibilities for peace and prosperity. i hope you are. god bless you. god bless america. >> hello. this has been a difficult week for our country. we learn president trump expose highly classified intelligence to officials from russia. it has been reported before he

. >> jen psaki race reporters on the president's policy agenda at nato headquarters in brussels elgin. life coverage begins at 12:45 eastern. >> c-span's washington journal every day. you're taking your calls live on the air. we are discussing policy issues that impact you. white house reporter for the help reviews president biden's schedule and what is ahead at the white house. jason dick bremer views the week ahead in congress paired president biden at the nato summit. also, a look at the cost of covert hospitalization and treatment with university of michigan assistant oppressor. watch c-span washington journal live at seven eastern monday morning. he to join the discussion with your phone calls, facebook comments, text messages, and tweets. ♪ >> a house panel looks at unlawful of actions and what can be done to assist tenants. watch live 3 p.m. eastern on c-span, on the website, or on the radio app. >> a look now into the mental and physical well-being of unaccompanied children crossing the border. the secretary for children and families spoke with a subcommittee on what her off

here in brussels. in the list, as you know, goes on. we have recognized that the instability has taken on new forms that we must address, for example, in the cyber domain. in response, nato is reinforcing deterrence and defense, and adapting to more directly address terrorist threats along our southern flank in the mediterranean and turkey, and the words of the turkish m.o.d. , "a seamless defense all the way across the mediterranean." we also met with one of nato's closest partners, georgia. i expressed appreciation and respect on george's contributions in afghanistan. the alliance space is not only strategic realities, but also political realities. i depart here confident that we have an appreciation of the burden sharing that we must all sustain for deterrence, peace, and prosperity. i am optimistic the alliance will adopt a plan this year to , tocluding milestone dates make steady progress toward meeting defense commitments in light of the increased threats we face. it is imperative we do so to confront the threats as outlined by th

i see her in brussels a quick and purpose in this alliance and a profound determination to stand together and honor our commitments to each other. i have confidence we will sustain the legacy we have inherited and do what is necessary to defend our freedom. take you very much, i'm happy to take your questions. >> jennifer griffin, fox news. thank you, sir. what does russia need to stop doing in order for the u.s. to work with them? the chairman of the joint chiefs is meeting with them for the first time since they invaded ukraine. can we trust them? they have totis: live by international law just like we expect all mature nations on the planet to do. what we will do is engage in aically, we are not position right now to collaborate on a military level, but our political leaders will engage and try to find common ground or a way forward where russia, living up to its commitments, will return to a partnership of sorts with nato. going to have to prove itself first and live up to the commitments they have made in the agreement. >> do you believe that the russians interfered in the u.s. elect

support to allies at a recent speech at nato headquarters in brussels, belgium.

this is ahead of next week's nato meeting in brussels. >> welcome back to the pentagon. you have been here more than i have been here for the past several years, so it is good to have a veteran alongside me as i go with into this first -- go into this first week, and it is good to meet you early in my tenor, madam minister, and i inl see you next week germany both in munich but also willussels, where we attend the ministers of defense meeting. you know our high regard for [indiscernible] has been tested over many years and always to the test of time, the test of any challenge. i think we have many common interests, which is why look toward to talking with you here today and of course next week. in my previous roles, i have served with your forces many times, and i want to say i have the highest regard for them from my headquarters in those days in norfolk, where i had german officers on my staff. but more than that, any military that goes into combat operations get audited by the toughest auditor in the world, the battleground. and your troops have the maturity, leadersh

president trump is in brussels for a summit of nato leaders. his first meeting at the summit was with nato secretary-general yen stoltenberg. they spoke briefly before the meeting. he may be the only one, that's ok with me. >> we will discuss how we can make this summit successful. focus on thenue to present. [inaudible] -- [no audio] -- [indiscernible] year, about $40 million more has been given by other countries to help nato. that's not nearly enough. the u.s. is spending far too much. other countries are not paying enough, so we are going to have a meeting on that. the secretary-general has worked very hard. hopefully we can get it resolved. this has been going on for decades. and notsproportionate fair to the taxpayers of the u.s.. we are going to make it fair. i want to complement the secretary-general. he worked very hard on this problem, he understand it better than anybody. thank you very much.

he held a joint press conference today in brussels with european council president donald tusk. the vice president is on a two-day visit to meet with eu and nato officials. this is 25 minutes. pres. tusk: mr. vice president, dear friends, let me first of all thank you for this meeting. we all truly needed it. much has happened in the last month in your country. many surprising opinions have been voiced about our relations and about our common security. for us to pretend that everything is the way it used to be. thank you for being so open and frank with me, mr. vice president. today i had words which are promising of the future. words that explain a lot about the -- about the approach of the new administration in washington. i repaid our guest by offering honesty in my assessment of the situation. i shared our concerns. incurable i am an pro-american european who is dogmatically devoted to transatlantic cooperation, i could afford to be outspoken even more. i asked the vice president directly if he shared my opinions of three key matters. international order. and the attitude of

president trump was in brussels for the nato summit. coming up, we will show remarks by the president before the summit in meetings the president had with the chancellor of germany and the president of france. >> good morning. >> we will discuss how we can make the some exercises fault -- successful. that will be the main focus. about $40 billion more has been given by other countries to nearlyto but that's not enough. the u.s. is paying far too much and other countries are not paying enough, so we will have a meeting on that and the secretary-general has worked very hard on that. hopefully we can get it resolved. this has been going up for decades. it is disproportionate and not the to the taxpayers of united states, and we are going to make it fair. i want to complement the secretary general. he understands it better than anybody. thank you very much. thank you.

[indiscernible chatter] , welcome tosty brussels. withll begin our meeting the dedication of two memorials. our gathering today is an opportunity to talk our shared futures and remember our shared post. the berlin wall was built to divide europe and keep people in and ideas out. of this division, nato allies stood united in defense of freedom and human decency. in 1989, the wall was brought down by peaceful protests, by popular movements and by the bravery of countless men and women across central and eastern europe. those who enter this building will pass this memorial. they will understand that reason will never be -- will never be defeated. chancellor merkel, you were in berlin the night the wall came down. we want to welcome you to the new nato headquarters. chancellor merkel: your majesty, secretary-general, dear colleagues, nato's new headquarters will be the future point of reference for nato, a modern building is a reference to the future. desker, if we are to find for the future, it is good to remind ourselves of what we hav

the headquarters is brussel. the process based on unanimous consent and military decisions implemented by oversight in the north atlantic council. as it met expectations.

it's truly been an honor to be here in brussels today. i received a very warm welcome from my counterparts. it's never good to be late on your first day of work, and so after being sworn in i hustled here. the flight crew did great work to get me here and lots of great state department officers helped me get this set up so i could be here in the nick of time. it was important to me. there's no more fitting destination for my first foreign trip as the secretary of state than a meeting of our nato allies. this alliance has been an essential pillar of american security interests for decades. some of our strongest bilateral partnerships are encompassed within this alliance, and i made it clear today that the united states is eager to continue to lead here in nato. our commitment, the united states commitment to the collective defense under article 5 of the washington treaty remains ironclad. as president trump said, the alliance has been the bulwark of international peace and security for nearly 70 years, and it will remain so. threats to our

the president did ask me to come here to brussels and to the home of the european union, and deliver an additional message. and so today it is my privilege on behalf of president trump to express the strong commitment of to united states to continue cooperate and partner with the european union. whatever our differences, our two continents share the same heritage, the same values and the same purpose. to promote peace and prosperity through freedom, democracy, and the rule of law. and to those objectives we will remain committed. and this has been the european union's goal since before its formal founding in 1993. westbegan as a modest european trade agreement has grown into a commitment to the four freedoms, freedom of movement, goods, capital, services and people, with a common currency and a common approach. what began 60 years ago with the treaty of rome among six west european nations has grown to youmpass many nations and welcomed new states after the end of the cold war. with this union, and in cooperation with the united states, history will attest that when the united states

so we are on our way into brussels and pretty full day tomorrow with meetings with the european union and european commission and working lunch with the president of france and hope up the new headquarters and extensive working dinner. o another full pretty full agenda for the president [ inaudible] the secretary: as the president has said, he wants to persuade 2% of lims to have the g.d.p. is a target. you can expect the president to be tough on themment saying 4% apthe u.s. is spending the american people are doing a lot. you need to make sure you are doing your hair. that is going to be the core of his message to nato. indiscernible] the secretary: nato joining the isis coalition, we think that would be a really important step for them to take. they have been an observer and been engaged in the fight to defeat isis and that will be and important step for them to take. there are countries thinking it over. i think they are going to support nato joining and becoming a formal member. that will be up to the secretary general as to how you put that on the agenda. [indiscernible] the sec

they talked about a range of issues including the upcoming nato summit in brussels, trade relations, and nominating a new supreme court justice. here's a look. >> good afternoon. pres. trump: good afternoon. big group. academy awards. bigger. thank you very much. it is a great honor to have the prime minister of the kingdom of the netherlands -- that is the official title. very elegant and beautiful. it is a great honor to have you. we work together and have a very, very close relationship. i think the relationship with the netherlands has never been better than it is now. we will be meeting over the next two weeks and nato in discussing that today also. we're discussing trade and the eu and lots of other things. tremendous number's are coming out of the united states and our government. our economy is very good. probably the best it has ever been. we are very close to making some very good trade deals -- fair trade deals. i do not want to say good, i wanted to say fair trade does for our workers and our farmers and a lot of good things are happening. i think the eu, we will be meeti

mike pence held a news conference yesterday with the secretary-general of nato in brussels. he reiterated the u.s. commitment to nato and the transatlantic alliance. mr. stolenberg: so good afternoon, vice president pence, welcome to nato headquarters. it is really a great honor and a great pleasure to have you here. just a month after you took office and just a few days after your great speech in munich. where you so clearly declared the commitment and unwavering support of the u.s. to the transatlantic bond. we welcome that because we see the strong commitment of the u.s. to the transatlantic bond not only in words. but also in deeds. these days the us is deploying new forces, additional forces, to europe which is of great importance for the security of europe and which is demonstrates the strong transatlantic commitment of the u.s. and we are very grateful for this commitment. you also stressed that just as the u.s. stood with europe, europe stood tall with the u.s. and we have to remember that the only time that the alliance has invoked our nato has invoked our collectiv

stoltenberg: welcome to brussels to all of you. we will begin our meeting with the dedication of two memorials . our gathering today is an opportunity to chart our shared future and to remember our shared past. the berlin wall is the symbol of that past. it was built to divide europe, o keep people in and ideas out. in face of division, nato allies stood united in defense of freedom, democracy and human dignity. in 1989, the wall was brought down by peaceful protests, by popular movements, and by the bravery of countless men and women across central and eastern europe. will y, all those who enter this building will pass this memorial. they will understand that freedom will never be defeated. and that nato will always defend the values on which our reliance is founded. so, chancellor merkel, you were in berlin the very night when the -- when the wall came down. we welcome you here to brussels to the new nato headquarters and the floor is yours. lease. chancellor merkel: your majesty , secretary general, dear colleagues. nato's new h

meeting in brussels. again, strong bipartisan support for nato and for the transatlantic relationship. as he said at the end of his speech, he addressed the vice president when he said, it is good to have friends and that friendship is what we absoluted yesterday. i was very proud -- saluted yesterday. i was very proud of the occasion to join leader mitch mcconnell and other leaders to invite the secretary to commemorate the 70th anniversary. last night representative cuellar and representative escobar introduced a resolution condemning the president's reckless threat to shut down the border. he likes to shut down things. shut down the government. shut down the border. shutting down the border would threaten good paying american jobs, hurt our economy, violate our values, and gravely hurt our country. you should read the resolution because it talks about how many -- the concern that we have for our jobs in the united states, shortages of fruits, vegetables, fresh fruit, how harmful it would be to the auto

this will be an important point when allied leaders meet in brussels in may. so, mr. vice president, thank you for our excellent discussion. we agree that nato is the most successful alliance in history because nato has been able to adapt and change when the world is changing. and we agree that we must continue to change to keep our people safe. remainsdership indispensable. and so i really look forward to working with you and to welcoming president trump in brussels in may. thank you mr.ce: secretary general. it is a privilege to meet with you today to bring greetings on behalf of president donald trump and had the opportunity. a thorough and substantive discussion of the issues facing nato and our historic alliance. it has been a busy weekend for me. as i prepare to head back to the united states, i am grateful. grateful to have had the speak on saturday about our shared security issues at the munich security council and i appreciate your encouraging words about the message of the united states at that conference. i also was pleased to be able to hold a series of pr

last week i attended the nato meeting in brussels along with partners and allies who are contributing troops to afghanistan. in brussels, i was pleased to introduce general crystal to the nato defense ministers and it to our troop contributing partners. he is now on the job and in the midst of a 60-day review of operations. he brings unparalleled energy and determination, as well as substantial counterinsurgency experience and expertise to the international military effort in afghanistan. i look forward to the results of his review, which should represent a more comprehensive and effective civil military approach. one of the key takeaways from brussels was an agreement in principle to set up a new command structure, including a new operational headquarters. i look forward to the north atlantic council's approval of a new command organization next month and to the senate's confirmation of lieutenant- general david rodriquez, who with approval, would assume command of the day to day military operations of this headquarters. another important take away from this is a commitment from nato

i will also meet with friends and allies in europe at a gathering of nato and brussels and at the g-7 summit in italy. finally i will say thank you to some of the courageous men and women of the united states military serving their nation overseas. in my inaugural address i pledge to strengthen america's oldest friendships, to seek new partners in pursuit of peace and to always put american people first. i pledged our partners must show that they are partners. they must contribute financially to the tremendous cost, the money we are spending is so big. it is so much. and it is not fair for our nation. they have to help. i'm sure they will. i'm very excited about new possibilities for peace and prosperity and i hope you are. thank you, god bless you, god bless america. hello. this is been a difficult week for our country.

meetings inre g7 brussels. inends his trip friday normandy, where he will attend sir moneys along with european leaders and russian president vladimir putin to mark the 70th anniversary of the d-day invasion of world war ii. along with national security concerns, and the u.s. policy in , the representative spoke for about 30 minutes. [applause] thanks. i appreciate the invitation to be with you all today. benefitednly have from the heritage foundation's insights on national security since i was a young hill staff are working on defense issues in the early 1980's. those were exciting and contentious times. i think we suffer from a bit of amnesia. believe that reagan's defense buildup and his fight against communism alongside margaret thatcher and john paul ii were some sort of inevitable triumph of consensus policies. were resistedies every step of the way. and, just as steps that we need to take today are and will be resisted. i also think the effort of heritage to look back a century at world war i is good and

at his first nato meeting in brussels, as the new american president, he sat opposite me that day. george was taking copious notes as the heads of governments spoke. we were all limited in time. it is flattering to have the president of united states take notes. as you speak. even someone as modest as me. [laughter] a few more adjectives here and there. [laughter] to extend the pleasure of the experience. after the prime minister, chancellor has spoken. it was the turn of the prime minister of iceland. who as president bush continued to write, went on and on and on and on. [laughter] ending only when the secretary-general of nato decreed a coffee break. george put down his pen, walked over to me and said brian, i have learned the fundamental principle of international affairs. i said what is that? he said the smaller the country, the longer the speech. [laughter] in the second year of the bush presidency, responding to pressures of the reagan and bush administrations, the soviet union imploded. this was in my judgment, the most ethical -- political event of the 21st century area --

after the horror in brussels. republican senators who have said they will meet with judge garland are going to find him to be an accomplished, brilliant, and compassionate jurist. abc's of the , excellent supreme court justice. this morning we were reminded why it is important to have a full court. a deadlocked court decision upheld a lower court decision to prevent two women from suing a bang for discrimination. somebody things will be put on hold when there is a 4-4 decision. it will hurt progress in america whether it is economic or social justice and anyway. deserve a resolution from a full court. i am convinced more than ever is after meeting judge garland, that as this process moves forward, senator mcconnell is going to find himself increasingly isolated in his obstruction. ironically, the only two people he is going to happen is corner will be donald trump and ted cruz. the reaction of the american people, senator mcconnell's blind obstruction, has been even stronger than we first imagined. some of these n

in my own career, i spent time in london and brussels, and i know the first instinct of europeans, when a problem arises, a challenge arises, is to look for washington for leadership and our challenge will be to make sure they continue to have that instinct and they're willing to join with us in coalitions and efforts to deal with common problems. host: part of that is personal relationships between leaders and this president in any president. two in particular, the new president in france, president macron, who was critical of president trump, speaking in english on the paris climate accord. guest: yes, president macron wanted to make sure his words were heard in the original to citizens, so he was reaching up to the people -- reaching out to the people of the united states, which is why he spoken english, which he otherwise would not do, even though he has that english. host: and angela merkel, there is that moment when president trump would not or did not shake her hand and german diplomats saying it isn't a big deal, but do they have a close personal relationship? guest: i do not pe

i think however brussels being brussels, the political configuration is very complex. there is really no agreement on what the holistic strategy should be of the european union to address this crisis. i think one thing countries do agree on, one strategy is accepted by all member states, and that is to raise the cost for putin. that i think member states agree on. to raise the cost through economic sanctions and some also go further than that and agree to deliver technology and military means to ukraine. however, even though there is agreement on raising the cost, i think countries still don't agree on how high to raise the cost for potent. -- for putin. i think this is still a major issue in brussels. i actually just came back from the nato headquarters. two hours ago. i think the day was a bit different. -- different than at the eu. it's the same thing in brussels, sometimes we laugh. there's this virtual wall between them. but actually i think the net result of putin's aggressive actions is that nato is even more united than before. i think we clearly see that now.

the defense secretary is in brussels to meet with his counterparts in nato. >> thank you and good afternoon, everyone. i would like to thank secretary-general totenberg for hosting this nato defense ministerial. it certainly comes at an important time for the alliance as russia continues building up their military presence along ukraine's borders. including in crimea and belarus and in the black sea. in many ways this brings russian troops right up to nato's doorstep. so let me begin today by making clear that america's commitment to nato and to article five remains ironclad. as president biden said a couple of days ago, we will if we must defend every inch of nato territory. there is no reason that it should come to this. just like there is no reason for russia to again invade ukraine. ukraine does not threaten anyone. let alone its russian neighbors. and yet that is what moscow would have us believe. and that is how esther putin continues to justify his assembly of significant combat power. the russians say they are withdrawing some of those forces now that exercises are complete but we d

defense secretary james mattis just concluded a meeting with nato defense ministers in brussels. then he held a brief news conference, where he discussed the nato alliance and answered weston's about -- answered questions about u.s. relations with russia. >> ladies and gentlemen, secretary mattis will make a statement and then take two questions. sec. mattis: yes, ma'am. good afternoon, ladies and gentlemen. i just completed the defense ministerial, wherein had the opportunity to engage in a bilateral discussion with a number of rfid -- of our fellow ministers. ministerialwe all had a dinner , reaffirming our strong transatlantic bond. it is the strongest i have ever seen. i have experience here at nato, and i was impressed by how strong the bond is. my intent is to affirm the full u.s. commitment to nato, and to gain an updated appreciation of the situation facing our alliance. the burden-sharing message i delivered was effective, and it was very well received, and i depart confident that the alliance will be unified in meeting today's security challenges. i especially appreciat

in washington, london, brussels, they pushed kyiv to move facility -- hostilities into our territories. they don't hide it when they say russia should be destroyed in the field of battle. and they should deprive us of any kind of sovereignty. they should rob our country of everything. they have started nuclear blackmail. i am not only talking about the attack on the zaporizhzhia power plant but i'm also talking about the statements of high-level representatives of the nato countries about the possibility of using weapons of mass destruction against russia. nuclear weapons. and those who make those statements against russia i would like to remind them that our country also possesses barriers, weapons and in some ways we have more modern weapons than they do. the integrity of our country, if it is threatened, we defend our country and our people, we will use all the means we have. i not bluffing. citizens of russia can be confident that we will have the integrity of our country with any means that we have in our possession and those who are trying to blackmail with nuclear weapons i woul

president, if you could tell us a couple weeks ago, president trump was in brussels at the nato meeting and not only was he encouraging nato members to pay up the 2% required of g.d.p. for national defense, but he also was saying that countries including yours who had not paid 2% in the past should make up for that difference. do you think that's fair? president iohannis: i was in brussels and i met president trump and i listened to his speech and i liked it because, you see, nato is based on values but it is ultimately a military alliance. and you know military spending is complicated and you need a lot of money because nato is the strongest alliance the earth ever saw and we want to keep it that way. so we have to spend money for defense purposes. and spending money means if you are in an alliance, everybody has to spend money. this is called burden-sharing, and i fully agree, mr. president, to that. so, of course, some people liked this better and some didn't like it so much but it's a simple fact that we have to do this, not as a purpose in itself. we have to do this to stay strong,