Remarks by President Obama at NATO Summit Press Conference
Celtic Manor Resort
Newport, Wales
4:50 P.M. BST
PRESIDENT OBAMA: Good afternoon. Let me begin by thanking my great
friend, Prime Minister Cameron -- and his entire team -- for hosting
this NATO Summit and making it such a success. And I want to thank the
people of Newport and Cardiff and the people of Wales for welcoming me
and my delegation so warmly. It’s a great honor to be the first sitting
U.S. President to visit Wales.
We’ve met at a time of transition and a time of testing. After more
than a decade, NATO’s combat mission in Afghanistan is coming to an
end. Russia’s aggression against Ukraine threatens our vision of a
Europe that is whole, free and at peace. In the Middle East, the
terrorist threat from ISIL poses a growing danger. Here at this summit,
our Alliance has summoned the will, the resources and the capabilities
to meet all of these challenges.
First and foremost, we have reaffirmed the central mission of the
Alliance. Article 5 enshrines our solemn duty to each other -- “an
armed attack against one…shall be considered an attack against them
all.” This is a binding, treaty obligation. It is non-negotiable. And
here in Wales, we’ve left absolutely no doubt -- we will defend every
Ally.
Second, we agreed to be resolute in reassuring our Allies in Eastern
Europe. Increased NATO air patrols over the Baltics will continue.
Rotations of additional forces throughout Eastern Europe for training
and exercises will continue. Naval patrols in the Black Sea will
continue. And all 28 NATO nations agreed to contribute to all of these
measures -- for as long as necessary.
Third, to ensure that NATO remains prepared for any contingency, we
agreed to a new Readiness Action Plan. The Alliance will update its
defense planning. We will create a new highly ready Rapid Response
Force that can be deployed on very short notice. We’ll increase NATO’s
presence in Central and Eastern Europe with additional equipment,
training, exercises and troop rotations. And the $1 billion initiative
that I announced in Warsaw will be a strong and ongoing U.S.
contribution to this plan.
Fourth, all 28 NATO nations have pledged to increase their
investments in defense and to move toward investing 2 percent of their
GDP in our collective security. These resources will help NATO invest
in critical capabilities, including intelligence, surveillance,
reconnaissance and missile defense. And this commitment makes clear
that NATO will not be complacent. Our Alliance will reverse the decline
in defense spending and rise to meet the challenges that we face in the
21st century.
Fifth, our Alliance is fully united in support of Ukraine’s
sovereignty, independence and territorial integrity and its right to
defend itself. To back up this commitment, all 28 NATO Allies will now
provide security assistance to Ukraine. This includes non-lethal
support to the Ukrainian military -- like body armor, fuel and medical
care for wounded Ukrainian troops -- as well as assistance to help
modernize Ukrainian forces, including logistics and command and
control.
Here in Wales, we also sent a strong message to Russia that actions
have consequences. Today, the United States and Europe are finalizing
measures to deepen and broaden our sanctions across Russia’s financial,
energy and defense sectors. At the same time, we strongly support
President Poroshenko’s efforts to pursue a peaceful resolution to the
conflict in his country. The cease-fire announced today can advance
that goal, but only if there is follow-through on the ground.
Pro-Russian separatists must keep their commitments and Russia must stop
its violations of Ukraine's sovereignty and territorial integrity.
Beyond Europe, we pay tribute to all those from our ISAF mission,
including more than 2,200 Americans, who have given their lives for our
security in Afghanistan. NATO’s combat mission ends in three months,
and we are prepared to transition to a new mission focused on training,
advising and assisting Afghan security forces. Both presidential
candidates have pledged to sign the Bilateral Security Agreement that
would be the foundation of our continued cooperation. But, as we all
know, the outcome of the recent election must be resolved. And so we
continue to urge the two presidential candidates to make the compromises
that are necessary so Afghans can move forward together and form a
sovereign, united and democratic nation.
Finally, we reaffirmed that the door to NATO membership remains open
to nations that can meet our high standards. We agreed to expand the
partnership that makes NATO the hub of global security. We’re launching
a new effort with our closest partners -- including many that have
served with us in Afghanistan -- to make sure our forces continue to
operate together. And we’ll create a new initiative to help countries
build their defense capabilities -- starting with Georgia, Moldova,
Jordan and Libya.
I also leave here confident that NATO Allies and partners are
prepared to join in a broad, international effort to combat the threat
posed by ISIL. Already, Allies have joined us in Iraq, where we have
stopped ISIL’s advances; we’ve equipped our Iraqi partners, and helped
them go on offense. NATO has agreed to play a role in providing
security and humanitarian assistance to those who are on the front
lines. Key NATO Allies stand ready to confront this terrorist threat
through military, intelligence and law enforcement, as well as
diplomatic efforts. And Secretary Kerry will now travel to the region
to continue building the broad-based coalition that will enable us to
degrade and ultimately destroy ISIL.
So, taken together, I think the progress we’ve achieved in Wales
makes it clear that our Alliance will continue to do whatever is
necessary to ensure our collective defense and to protect our citizens.
So with that, let me take a few questions. I’ll start with Julie Pace of the Associated Press.
Q Thank you, Mr. President. I wanted to go back to the situation
in Ukraine. If this cease-fire does take effect and appears to be
holding, would you and your European counterparts back away from these
sanctions that you say you’ve prepared? Or do you feel that it’s
important to levy these sanctions regardless of this cease-fire
agreement? And if I could go back to the Rapid Response Force, can you
say specifically what U.S. contributions will be in terms of troop
numbers and equipment? Is it beyond the agreement that you announced --
or the proposal you announced in Warsaw?
PRESIDENT OBAMA: With respect to the cease-fire agreement, obviously
we are hopeful, but based on past experience also skeptical that, in
fact, the separatists will follow through and the Russians will stop
violating Ukraine’s sovereignty and territorial integrity. So it has to
be tested.
And I know that the Europeans are discussing at this point the final
shape of their sanctions measures. It’s my view that if you look at
President Poroshenko’s plan, it is going to take some time to
implement. And as a consequence, for us to move forward based on what
is currently happening on the ground with sanctions -- while
acknowledging that if, in fact, the elements of the plan that has been
signed are implemented -- then those sanctions could be lifted is a more
likely way for us to ensure that there’s follow-through. But that's
something that obviously we’ll consult closely with our European
partners to determine.
I do want to point out, though, that the only reason that we’re
seeing this cease-fire at this moment is because of both the sanctions
that have already been applied and the threat of further sanctions,
which are having a real impact on the Russian economy and have isolated
Russia in a way that we have not seen in a very long time.
The path for Russia to rejoin the community of nations that respects
international law is still there, and we encourage President Putin to
take it. But the unity and the firmness that we’ve seen in the
Transatlantic Alliance in supporting Ukraine and applying sanctions has
been I think a testimony to how seriously people take the basic
principle that big countries can just stomp on little countries, or
force them to change their policies and give up their sovereignty.
So I’m very pleased with the kind of work that's been done throughout
this crisis in Ukraine, and I think U.S. leadership has been critical
throughout that process.
With respect to the Rapid Response Force and the Readiness Action
Plan that we’ve put forward, in Warsaw I announced $1 billion in our
initiative. A sizeable portion of that will be devoted to implementing
various aspects of this Readiness Action Plan.
We’ve already increased obviously rotations of personnel in the
Baltic states, for example. We have the air policing. We have the
activities that are taking place in the Baltic and the Black Sea. But
this allows us to supplement it. It allows us to coordinate it and
integrate it further with additional contributions from other partners.
And what it signifies is NATO’s recognition that, in light of recent
Russian actions as well as rhetoric, we want to make it crystal clear:
We mean what we say when we’re talking about our Article 5 commitments.
And an increased presence serves as the most effective deterrent to any
additional Russian aggression that we might see.
Angela Keane, Bloomberg.
Q Thank you, Mr. President. What are your specific expectations
for what regional actors like Saudi Arabia, Yemen and Jordan can
legitimately provide to a coalition against Islamic State? Is there a
role there for Iran, as well? As you know, Secretary Kerry today said
that he expects the Allied countries to coalesce around a specific plan
by the end of September. Do you agree with the timeline that he set
out? And what concrete commitments, if any, are you leaving this summit
with from the other nations that were here?
PRESIDENT OBAMA: Let me start with a general point. There was
unanimity over the last two days that ISIL poses a significant threat to
NATO members. And there was a recognition that we have to take
action. I did not get any resistance or pushback to the basic notion
that we have a critical role to play in rolling back this savage
organization that is causing so much chaos in the region and is harming
so many people, and poses a long-term threat to the safety and security
of NATO members. So there’s great conviction that we have to act as
part of the international community to degrade and ultimately destroy
ISIL. And that was extremely encouraging.
Beyond that, what we have already seen is significant support from a
variety of member states for specific actions that we’ve been taking in
Iraq. Keep in mind, we’ve taken already 100 strikes in Iraq that have
had a significant impact on degrading their capabilities, and making
sure that we’re protecting U.S. citizens, critical infrastructure,
providing the space for the Iraqi government to form. Our hope is that
the Iraqi government is actually formed and finalized next week. That,
then, allows us to work with them on a broader strategy.
And some of the assistance has been in the form of airlift or
humanitarian assistance. Much of it has been providing additional arms
to the Peshmerga and the Iraqi Security Forces. There’s been logistical
support, intelligence and surveillance and reconnaissance support. And
so a variety of folks with different capabilities have already made a
contribution. I’m confident that we’re going to be able to build on
that strong foundation and the clear commitment, and have the kind of
coalition that will be required for the sustained effort we need to push
ISIL back.
Now, John Kerry is going to be traveling to the region to have
further consultations with the regional actors and the regional
players. And I think it is absolutely critical that we have Arab
states, and specifically Sunni majority states, that are rejecting the
kind of extremist nihilism that we’re seeing out of ISIL that say that
is not what Islam is about, and are prepared to join us actively in the
fight. And my expectation is, is that we will see friends and allies
and partners of ours in the region prepared to take action, as well, as
part of a coalition.
One of our tasks, though, is also going to be to build capability.
What we’ve learned in Iraq is, yes, ISIL has significant capabilities,
and they combine terrorist tactics with traditional military tactics to
significant effect, but part of the problem also is, is that we haven’t
seen as effective a fighting force on the part of the Iraqi Security
Forces as we need. And we’re going to have to focus on the capable
units that are already there, bolster them, bolster the work that the
Peshmerga has done. We can support them from the air, but ultimately
we’re going to need a strong ground game, and we’re also going to need
the Sunni tribes in many of these areas to recognize that their future
is not with the kind of fanaticism that ISIL represents so that they
start taking the fight to ISIL, as well. And that's going to require
the sort of regional partnerships that we’re talking about.
In terms of timetable, we are working deliberately. If you look at
what we’ve done over the last several months, we’ve taken this in
stages. The first stage is to make sure that we were encouraging Iraqi
government formation. Second stage was making sure that, building on
the intelligence assessments that we have done, that we were in a
position to conduct limited airstrikes to protect our personnel,
critical infrastructure and engage in humanitarian activities.
The third phase will allow us to take the fight to ISIL, broaden the
effort. And our goal is to act with urgency, but also to make sure that
we’re doing it right -- that we have the right targets; that there’s
support on the ground if we take an airstrike; that we have a strong
political coalition, diplomatic effort that is matching it; a strong
strategic communications effort so that we are discouraging people from
thinking somehow that ISIL represents a state, much less a caliphate.
So all those things are going to have to be combined.
And as I said, it’s not going to happen overnight, but we are
steadily moving in the right direction. And we are going to achieve our
goal. We are going to degrade and ultimately defeat ISIL, the same way
that we have gone after al Qaeda, and the same way that we have gone
after the al Qaeda affiliate in Somalia where we released today the fact
that we had killed the leader of al-Shabaab in Somalia, and have
consistently worked to degrade their operations.
We have been very systematic and methodical in going after these
kinds of organizations that may threaten U.S. personnel and the
homeland. And that deliberation allows us to do it right. But have no
doubt, we will continue and I will continue to do what is necessary to
protect the American people. And ISIL poses a real threat, and I’m
encouraged by the fact that our friends and allies recognize that same
threat.
Julie Davis.
Q Thank you, Mr. President. I want to follow up on what you were
saying about ISIL and ask, if you think that the objective here is to
destroy and degrade them, are those the same thing in your mind? Is the
goal to ultimately -- Secretary Kerry said that there’s no containing
them, so is the goal to ultimately annihilate them? And also, you
talked about the importance of expertise on the ground and building up
capacity on the ground. Do you think since airstrikes are not going to
do it here, if ultimately action is needed in Syria, can you
realistically expect the Free Syrian Army to do what’s needed on the
ground to really destroy, not just push back, ISIL?
PRESIDENT OBAMA: You can’t contain an organization that is running
roughshod through that much territory, causing that much havoc,
displacing that many people, killing that many innocents, enslaving that
many women. The goal has to be to dismantle them.
And if you look at what happened with al Qaeda in the FATA, where
their primary base was, you initially push them back. You
systematically degrade their capabilities. You narrow their scope of
action. You slowly shrink the space, the territory that they may
control. You take out their leadership. And over time, they are not
able to conduct the same kinds of terrorist attacks as they once could.
As I said I think in my last press conference, given the nature of
these organizations, are there potentially remnants of an organization
that are still running around and hiding and still potentially
plotting? Absolutely. And we will continue to hunt them down the same
way we’re doing with remnants of al Qaeda in the FATA or elements of
al-Shabaab in Somalia, or terrorists who operate anywhere around the
world.
But what we can accomplish is to dismantle this network, this force
that has claimed to control this much territory, so that they can’t do
us harm. And that’s going to be our objective. And as I said before,
I’m pleased to see that there’s unanimity among our friends and allies
that that is a worthy goal and they are prepared to work with us in
accomplishing that goal.
With respect to the situation on the ground in Syria, we will not be
placing U.S. ground troops to try to control the areas that are part of
the conflict inside of Syria. I don’t think that’s necessary for us to
accomplish our goal. We are going to have to find effective partners on
the ground to push back against ISIL. And the moderate coalition there
is one that we can work with. We have experience working with many of
them. They have been, to some degree, outgunned and outmanned, and
that’s why it’s important for us to work with our friends and allies to
support them more effectively.
But keep in mind that when you have U.S. forces, other advanced
nations going after ISIL and putting them on the defensive and putting
them on the run, it’s pretty remarkable what then ground forces can do,
even if initially they were on the defensive against ISIL.
So that is a developing strategy that we are going to be consulting
with our friends, our allies, our regional partners. But the bottom
line is, we will do what is necessary in order to make sure that ISIL
does not threaten the United States or our friends and partners.
One last question. Colleen Nelson, Wall Street Journal.
Q Thank you, Mr. President. Some say that Democrats who are
facing tough races in November have asked you to delay action on
immigration. How have the concerns of other Democrats influenced your
thinking? And do you see any downside at this point to delaying until
after the election?
PRESIDENT OBAMA: I have to tell you that this week I’ve been pretty
busy, focused on Ukraine and focused on ISIL and focused on making sure
that NATO is boosting its commitments, and following through on what’s
necessary to meet 21st century challenges.
Jeh Johnson and Eric Holder have begun to provide me some of their
proposals and recommendations. I’ll be reviewing them. And my
expectation is that fairly soon I’ll be considering what the next steps
are.
What I’m unequivocal about is that we need immigration reform; that
my overriding preference is to see Congress act. We had bipartisan
action in the Senate. The House Republicans have sat on it for over a
year. That has damaged the economy, it has held America back. It is a
mistake. And in the absence of congressional action, I intend to take
action to make sure that we’re putting more resources on the border,
that we’re upgrading how we process these cases, and that we find a way
to encourage legal immigration and give people some path so that they
can start paying taxes and pay a fine and learn English and be able to
not look over their shoulder but be legal, since they’ve been living
here for quite some time.
So I suspect that on my flight back this will be part of my reading,
taking a look at some of the specifics that we’ve looked at. And I’ll
be making an announcement soon.
But I want to be very clear: My intention is, in the absence of
action by Congress, I’m going to do what I can do within the legal
constraints of my office -- because it’s the right thing to do for the
country.
Thank you very much, people of Wales. I had a wonderful time.
END
5:15 P.M. BST
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