WEBVTT 00:00.000 --> 00:02.960 let's say cbs news , how concerned are 00:02.960 --> 00:05.850 you that Russia will follow through on 00:05.850 --> 00:08.070 these threats of a nuclear attack and 00:08.070 --> 00:11.980 how is NATO preparing ? President 00:11.980 --> 00:14.980 Putin's nuclear rhetoric is dangerous 00:14.990 --> 00:17.960 and it is reckless and irresponsible . 00:18.200 --> 00:21.510 Any use of a nuclear weapon in Ukraine 00:21.520 --> 00:24.040 will fundamentally change the nature of 00:24.040 --> 00:27.030 the conflict . Um President Putin 00:27.030 --> 00:30.160 Russia knows that nuclear war cannot be 00:30.160 --> 00:32.700 won and must never be fought and they 00:32.700 --> 00:34.980 also know that there will be severe 00:34.990 --> 00:38.170 consequences . So far . We have not 00:38.170 --> 00:40.800 seen any changes in Russia's nuclear 00:40.800 --> 00:43.580 posture but of course we monitor very 00:43.580 --> 00:47.330 closely and we are vigilant and 00:47.330 --> 00:51.100 ready to act if necessary . But the 00:51.100 --> 00:53.322 most important thing now is to convey a 00:53.322 --> 00:55.489 clear message that that they should of 00:55.489 --> 00:58.390 course not use a nuclear weapon in 00:58.400 --> 01:01.160 Ukraine sky . Please 01:03.310 --> 01:07.270 Deborah from obviously this 01:07.270 --> 01:09.510 is an exercise going on here . But at 01:09.510 --> 01:12.210 the same time NATO is conducting its 01:12.210 --> 01:15.570 annual nuclear exercises . Can you talk 01:15.570 --> 01:19.300 about that ? Has Russia been monitoring ? 01:19.300 --> 01:22.330 It was concerned that it could be 01:22.340 --> 01:25.980 escalatory , has that concern borne 01:25.980 --> 01:27.924 out ? Or are you glad that you are 01:27.924 --> 01:31.070 conducting these exercises ? Our 01:31.070 --> 01:34.000 exercise steadfast noon is a long uh 01:34.010 --> 01:36.350 planned exercise . It's a routine 01:36.360 --> 01:40.100 exercises uh exercise we conducted 01:40.100 --> 01:43.870 regularly and uh I think it would have 01:43.870 --> 01:46.550 sent an absolutely wrong signal if then 01:46.550 --> 01:50.320 suddenly we cancel that exercise . We 01:50.320 --> 01:52.376 have also been transparent about the 01:52.376 --> 01:54.264 fact that we are conducting these 01:54.264 --> 01:56.240 exercises and it was planned long 01:56.240 --> 01:59.250 before the Russian invasion of Ukraine . 01:59.700 --> 02:02.220 The purpose of the exercise is to keep 02:02.220 --> 02:06.070 our deterrent safe , secure and 02:06.070 --> 02:09.540 effective . There will be no live it's 02:09.540 --> 02:12.920 not live exercise or live fires , we 02:12.920 --> 02:15.230 will train our dual capable aircraft , 02:15.230 --> 02:18.270 the crews and the planes but no no of 02:18.270 --> 02:20.380 course live fire as part of the 02:20.390 --> 02:24.380 exercise and also take place far 02:24.380 --> 02:26.590 from the border with Russia . So this 02:26.590 --> 02:29.450 is a routine way of ensuring that our 02:29.460 --> 02:31.650 deterrent is safe and secure and 02:31.650 --> 02:34.340 effective and deterrence is a way to 02:34.340 --> 02:37.090 prevent conflict . As long as Russia 02:37.090 --> 02:39.870 knows that NATO is there to respond . 02:40.180 --> 02:43.360 They also know that all allies will 02:43.360 --> 02:46.330 protect and defend if one ally is 02:46.340 --> 02:48.630 attacked one for all , all for one and 02:48.630 --> 02:50.620 for more than 70 years , NATO's 02:50.620 --> 02:53.600 credible deterrence has preserved peace 02:53.890 --> 02:55.946 and that's exactly the reason why we 02:55.946 --> 02:58.930 continue to ensure that we have 02:58.930 --> 03:01.770 credible deterrence 24/7 every day 03:01.780 --> 03:04.420 throughout every year . To continue to 03:04.420 --> 03:07.970 preserve that NATO ally is attacked by 03:07.980 --> 03:08.420 Russia 03:13.640 --> 03:15.640 from the spanish television antenna 03:15.640 --> 03:18.280 trays . Secretary General given the the 03:18.290 --> 03:21.120 current level of threat and the nuclear 03:21.120 --> 03:23.720 rhetoric by the Kremlin , it is 03:23.720 --> 03:27.650 necessary or convenient to convene Head 03:27.650 --> 03:29.850 of States NATO summit . 03:31.890 --> 03:34.330 So we are constantly consulting within 03:34.340 --> 03:37.090 the alliance . We just had a defense 03:37.090 --> 03:40.130 ministerial meeting a few days ago , we 03:40.130 --> 03:43.700 speak on phone , we consult almost 03:43.710 --> 03:45.620 daily at the NATO headquarters 03:46.190 --> 03:49.970 and we had a successful 03:49.980 --> 03:53.790 summit in Madrid in june where the NATO 03:53.790 --> 03:56.390 allies , the leaders head of State 03:56.450 --> 03:59.940 agreed to further strengthen our 03:59.940 --> 04:01.850 collective defense , increase our 04:01.850 --> 04:03.850 presence in the eastern part of the 04:03.850 --> 04:06.210 alliance and to also 04:06.220 --> 04:08.990 respond by 04:09.300 --> 04:13.050 by increasing the redness of forces so 04:13.050 --> 04:15.630 we can quickly reinforce if there is a 04:15.640 --> 04:18.990 need . Let me also add that . We also 04:18.990 --> 04:21.157 then agreed to step up our support for 04:21.157 --> 04:23.710 Ukraine . NATO is not party to the 04:23.710 --> 04:26.880 conflict in Ukraine but we uh 04:26.890 --> 04:29.220 support Ukraine in the right for self 04:29.220 --> 04:31.960 defense in defending them themselves . 04:31.970 --> 04:35.460 So we will assess the need for for 04:35.470 --> 04:37.990 additional meetings at different levels . 04:38.000 --> 04:40.480 But we have many ways of consulting 04:40.480 --> 04:42.860 many ways of making decisions . And uh 04:42.870 --> 04:45.650 and uh and we will also next month 04:45.650 --> 04:47.650 actually have a foreign ministerial 04:47.650 --> 04:49.706 meeting and we meet when when we see 04:49.706 --> 04:51.761 there is a need to meet . But we can 04:51.761 --> 04:53.706 actually also make decisions about 04:53.706 --> 04:55.928 having physical meetings because we are 04:55.928 --> 04:58.150 consulting at the NATO headquarters and 04:58.150 --> 05:00.206 making decisions there when needed . 05:00.206 --> 05:04.160 One more . Thank you very much . Thank 05:04.160 --> 05:04.450 you .