NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg welcomed the President of Estonia, Alar Karis, to NATO headquarters on Thursday (13 January 2022).
He praised Estonia's contributions to the Alliance, including for hosting one of NATO's battlegroups in the Baltic region, its leadership in defence spending, and the vital role it plays in strengthening the Alliance's cyber defences.
The two leaders discussed the security situation in Europe, including Russia's military build-up in and around Ukraine. The Secretary General underlined that during yesterday's NATO-Russia Council meeting, Allies made clear that any further aggression against Ukraine would carry a heavy price for Russia. He added that Allies have also expressed willingness to engage in further dialogue. The Secretary General went on to say, "our goal is real de-escalation from Russia and engagement in good faith and on substance, in the interests of everyone's security" and he stressed that "we will never compromise on fundamental principles of European security".
