Rishi Sunak Press Conference at NATO Summit Transcript

Good evening. This summit stands out as a landmark in NATO’s long history. We arrived here faced with a more volatile and dangerous world, a mechanized war in Europe on a scale not seen since 1945. And increasing aggression from authoritarian states, challenging our security in Europe and beyond. But as we leave Vilnius, we are more confident and more united than ever, and let me set out three reasons why this is the case. First, we’ve acted decisively to strengthen this alliance, agreeing the most fundamental transformation to NATO’s readiness since the Cold War. Comprehensive war fighting plans to defend the UK and its allies. Scaled up defense production to boost our stockpiles, which will benefit British industry. And increased defense spending, with all allies now committed to hitting the 2% target. And we did something here in Vilnius that not long ago seemed impossible. We welcomed Finland to the table as a NATO member, and very soon we’ll be doing the same with Sweden.

(01:27)
We are stronger with them by our side, and in time we will be stronger with Ukraine as a NATO ally too. And this is my second point. It is now over 500 days since Russia’s invasion. 500 days of barbarity, of innocent people being murdered in their homes, of children being killed, abducted, and used as human shields. I want to pay tribute to the Ukrainian people and to their incredible bravery and resilience. They’re still standing strong and defiant, and the counter offensive is making progress. In the last few weeks, they’ve taken back more ground than Russia has taken in the last year, and we are standing with them and allies are doubling down in their support. At the Munich Security Conference in February, I called for long-term security arrangements, to protect Ukraine, break the cycle of Russian violence, and ultimately help end this war. And today we have delivered. Together with our G7 partners, we have agreed to provide the long-term bilateral security commitments that Ukraine needs.

(02:40)
These commitments mark a new high point in international support for Ukraine. And I want to be clear, they are not a substitute for NATO membership. The summit communique echoes the UK’s long-held position that Ukraine’s future is in NATO, and we’ve taken a big step this week towards bringing Ukraine into the alliance. Together we’ve shortened their path to membership, removing the need for a membership action plan, and holding the first meeting of the NATO Ukraine Council with President Zelensky sitting at the table by our side as an equal. And finally, I’d like to say a word about the UK’s role here. I was struck once again this week by just how valued our contribution is. The British people should know that, and they should be proud. We are the leading European contributor to NATO. We were one of the first to hit the 2% target, and now we’re moving towards 2.5%.

(03:42)
We spend more than 20 other NATO countries combined. But it’s about much more than that. It’s about our incredible armed forces across land, air, and sea. We’re one of the only countries that contributes to every NATO mission, with RAF jets patrolling the Eastern flank, troops on the ground in Estonia and Poland as part of NATO’s enhanced forward presence, and the Royal Navy, including our two aircraft carriers, providing around a quarter of NATO’s maritime capability. It’s about our deep partnerships. With Japan and Italy, we’re producing a sixth generation fighter through our Global Combat Air Programme. And with AUKUS, we’re working with Australia and the US to build some of the most advanced nuclear-powered submarines the world has ever known. And it’s about leadership. We’ve led the way on Ukraine, moving first on tanks and long range missiles, training their troops for the counter offensive.

(04:44)
And just today I’ve announced we’re providing more ammunition, 70 more combat vehicles, as well as a new rehabilitation center for injured Ukrainian veterans. We’re moving forward with the Combat Air Coalition, and the UK starts training Ukrainian pilots next month. And we’re using our leadership in technology to keep NATO at the cutting edge, hosting the European headquarters of the Defense Innovation Accelerator in the UK, and holding the first global summit on AI safety later this year.

(05:17)
The United Kingdom has been there since the start of this alliance. In 1948, in the hope of avoiding another devastating war, we joined together with a handful of allies to pledge that we would come to one another’s defense. That pact was the seed of the North Atlantic Treaty. 75 years later, faced with new threats in Europe, NATO is more important than ever. It has proved itself to be the most successful alliance in history, and this week, we’ve shown once again that the UK is at its heart. Thank you. We’ll take some questions from the media. If I could start with the BBC, please.

Thanks very much, Prime Minister. Ben Wright from the BBC. Do you agree with your defense secretary, Ben Wallace, that people want to see a bit of gratitude from Ukraine for the military help they’re getting from the West? And closer to home, will government departments have to make cuts elsewhere to fund higher pay rises for public sector workers?

Well, President Zelensky has expressed his gratitude for what we’ve done on a number of occasions, and not least in his incredibly moving address that he made to Parliament earlier this year. And he’s done so again to me as he has done countless times when I’ve met him. So I know he and his people are incredibly grateful for the support the UK has shown. The welcome that we’ve provided to many Ukrainian families, but also the leadership that we’ve shown throughout this conflict, as I mentioned, often being the first to move support forward, whether it was with the provision of tanks or, indeed, long range weapons. And I’d say he’s enormously grateful for that. But people across Ukraine are also fighting for their lives and freedom every single day and they’re paying a terrible price for it. So I completely understand Volodymyr’s desire to do everything he can to protect his people and to stop this war, and we will continue to give him the support that he needs.

(07:20)
With regard to public sector pay, what I’ve said previously is that we’ll be guided by a couple of principles. The first is fairness. Fairness for our public sector workers because we want to make sure that they’re rewarded fairly for their hard work, but also fairness for taxpayers, who ultimately have to foot the bill for pay rises. And the other thing we’ll be guided by is responsibility. I think everyone knows the economic context that we’re in, and we need to make sure that government decisions, particularly when it comes to not borrowing more, are made responsibly so that we don’t fuel inflation, make it worse or last for longer. So those are the things that we’ll be guided by, fairness and responsibility. Can I turn next to Sky News?

Thank you, Prime Minister. Just quickly following up on Ben Wallace’s remarks. He also likened NATO allies to being like Amazon giving delivery of weapons and protections for the Ukrainians. Do you worry that that might offend President Zelensky, who you have a good relationship with? And just following up on President Zelensky and your talks today, you talked clearly about full NATO membership in the future. Once this war is over, do you think that accession will happen quickly in the way, the sort of timeline that it did with Finland and now Sweden? So how quickly do you see that membership happening? And you’ve had a very successful summit, but back home it’s tough. You’re 20 plus points behind in the polls, you could face three by-election defeats next week, and all of your five pledges are in doubt. Now, you are a prime minister who doesn’t like to promise what he cannot deliver. Are you beginning to worry that you have over-promised domestically and that you could be punished at the ballot box, not just next week, but in a general election too? Thank you.

So, with regard to NATO membership, actually I think this summit has been, as I said, a very important moment. Because you had the alliance affirming unequivocally that Ukraine’s rightful place is in NATO and Ukraine will become a member of NATO. That’s something that UK has said. It was great that the alliance has echoed that position. And we saw at this summit meaningful progress on that path towards eventual membership. You’ve seen the removal of the membership action plan as the Secretary General described it. That’s turned the process from a two-step process into a one-step process, recognizing what has already happened. You’ve seen the comprehensive assistance program be supported and that will provide support to Ukraine. But also what you’ve seen is Ukraine sitting alongside me and other allies in the first meeting of the NATO Ukraine Council. These are very significant movements, moments along Ukraine’s journey to membership.

(10:18)
And all of that was complemented by the declaration from the G7 allies to provide long-term multilateral security guarantees, something that, as I said, I spoke about in February at the Munich Security Conference. And I’m highly confident that very quickly what you will see is other countries signing up to that same pledge. It won’t just be the G7, it’ll be others. And if you take all of that together, I think what you’ve got is… Actually, President Zelensky words are probably better than mine to describe it. But he’s just described it by saying that the outcome of the Vilnius Summit is a meaningful success for Ukraine, and that he is bringing home a significant security victory for Ukraine, for his country and for its people. Those are President Zelensky’s words about what this summit has achieved for him and for his people. And I’m very proud and everyone should be very proud that the UK has had a leading role to play in that outcome.

(11:15)
And with regard to your other question, [inaudible 00:11:18], all I’d say is, look, I am absolutely laser focused on delivering for the British people. Their priorities are my priorities. Halving inflation, because that’s the best way that we can ease the burden on them and the cost of living. Cutting waiting lists, because it’s wrong that people have to wait as long as they are currently. And about stopping the boats because that’s about simple fairness as well as everything else. And just most recently you could see us delivering on that just yesterday in Parliament, passing some of the toughest legislation that any government has ever passed when it comes to tackling that priority. Opposed every turn, I’d say, by the Labor Party.

(11:53)
But that is a demonstration of my commitment and my government’s commitment to just relentlessly focus on the things that matter to the British people. And when I set those priorities, I didn’t do it because it was easy. And you talk about the problems of delivery. I did it because they were the right things to focus on. And I am ambitious for the country and I’m ambitious for what I want to achieve for people, so it’s right that I set ambitious priorities and targets, and it’s right that we strain every sinew to meet them. And that’s what I’m doing. Next, Bloomberg.

Thank you. Kitty Donaldson from Bloomberg. Prime Minister, do you foresee Ukraine acceding to NATO within a year of the ceasefire? And secondly, on the economy, if I may, some economists are telling you to temporarily raise taxes to pay inflation. Do you accept that raising taxes helps to cut inflation, and what’s your message to [inaudible 00:12:48] want you to do the opposite?

I think, look, on Ukraine membership of NATO, I’d just probably point you back to what I’ve just said in detail about how this is going to work and what the summit represents as a very significant moment on the journey towards membership, and when conditions allow membership will happen. I think that is very clear from today’s summit that people’s view is Ukraine will and should be a member of NATO. That’s what you’ve heard loud and clear coming out of this summit, and you’ve heard what I said about President Zelensky’s view about what the summit has achieved as well. With regard to combating inflation, as I said earlier with my comments on public sector pay, it’s important that government has a responsible approach to fiscal policy, in order to complement what the Bank of England is doing on monetary policy so that we can halve inflation on its way back down to its long term target.

(13:42)
Now, all the decisions that we make are going to be guided by that. There’s lots of things the government always has to balance, but as I said, we’ve got an upcoming decision on public sector pay. And we’ll make sure that we make that decision by being fair to everybody, both taxpayers and public sector workers, but also by being responsible with the public finances and not needlessly borrowing more. Because that will fuel inflation and make the situation worse and last longer. We don’t want to see that. And we’re going to stick to the course because that is the country’s number one priority, going back to what [inaudible 00:14:11] said, and I’m laser focused on delivering it. Next I’ll go to the Daily Express.

[inaudible 00:14:20] President Putin’s allies have suggested that this increased security package could actually lead to World War III. Is that an assessment you’d agree with?

You said Putin’s allies. Look, I think the only person who’s responsible for this conflict is President Putin. President Putin has engaged in an unprovoked and illegal invasion of another country, violating their territorial integrity and sovereignty. That is a flagrant breach of international law in the UN Charter. Those are principles which not just us, but countries around the world think are important to uphold. And you’ve seen that in the widespread condemnation in the United Nations for his actions. And you saw it today at the summit and with the things that were said there. So, the person who can quickly end this war is President Putin by withdrawing his forces, recognizing what he’s doing is wrong. He’s inflicting untold misery on millions of people. And we are going to continue to support Ukraine for as long as it takes to end the suffering and make sure that they can have their sovereignty and freedom back, because that’s the right thing to do. And lastly, if I just go to The Sun, if we’ve got time.

Thank you. [inaudible 00:15:38], The Sun. Can you be crystal clear, would you have made the remarks that Ben Wallace did? And secondly, do you think the BBC presenter should resign so that we can try to move on from this?

Look, I’ve already addressed the point about Ben Wallace’s remarks. And more broadly, as I said, I think President Zelensky… Well, I know. President Zelensky has repeatedly expressed his gratitude to me and to the British people, and indeed other allies as well. He did it very movingly in Parliament when he was in the UK earlier this year. He continues to be grateful for our support and our leadership and the welcome that we’ve extended to many Ukrainian families. I think everyone can see that that’s how he feels.

(16:17)
And with regard to the BBC, I think as you’ll be aware, I think the police have asked the BBC to suspend their inquiry whilst they do their assessment, and I think it’s right that we let that continue. As I said, I personally was concerned by the allegations. They are serious and it’s right that they are investigated swiftly and rigorously. I’m glad that that’s happening and we should let that continue and conclude. Perfect. Good. Thanks very much, everyone.