NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg met with President Alar Karis on Tuesday (1 March 2022) at the start of a visit to Estonia. The Secretary General praised Estonia for its NATO contributions, as well as its strong support for Ukraine, including military and humanitarian aid.
The Secretary General visited NATO’s multinational battlegroup in Tapa, Estonia, together with Estonian Prime Minister Kaja Kallas, UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson, the Chair of the NATO Military Committee Admiral Rob Bauer, and the Supreme Allied Commander Europe General Tod D. Wolters. They met with British, Estonian, French and Icelandic personnel serving in the battlegroup. The Secretary General praised them for their service, for defending the Alliance and its values. The battlegroup is led by the United Kingdom and one of four deployed in the region to deter aggression and preserve peace.
The Secretary General held talks with Prime Minister Kaja and Prime Minister Johnson on Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. He thanked Estonia and the UK for imposing strong sanctions on Russia, increasing NATO’s presence across the Alliance and stepping up support to help Ukraine defend itself. “Our message to President Putin is: stop the war, pull out all your forces from Ukraine and engage in good faith in diplomatic efforts; the world stands with Ukraine,” he said. He also stressed that Allies will protect and defend every inch of NATO territory, and thanked the UK for doubling its troop presence in the NATO battlegroup.