The strong commitment of the u. S. To the transatlantic bond not only in words. But also in deeds. These days the us is deploying new forces, additional forces, to europe which is of great importance for the security of europe and which is demonstrates the strong transatlantic commitment of the u. S. And we are very grateful for this commitment. You also stressed that just as the u. S. Stood with europe, europe stood tall with the u. S. And we have to remember that the only time that the alliance has invoked our nato has invoked our collective defence clause, article 5, our, was after an attack on the u. S. And this was more than just a gesture. Several hundred thousands of canadian and european troops have served in afghanistan. And more than a thousand paid the ultimate price. The bond between the united between the United States and europe embodied in the Nato Alliance is very important today because we live in times of turmoil and and then we need a Strong Alliance more than ever. We discussed our progress in the fight against terrorism. Nato continues to train Security Forces in afghanistan. We have started to train Security Forces and officers in iraq. And we support the Usled Coalition against isil with awacs surveillance planes. But we agree that the alliance can, and should do more, in the fight against terrorism. We also agree on the importance of higher defence spending and fairer burdensharing in nato. This has been my top priority since i took office. Europeans cannot ask the United States to commit to europes defence if they are not willing to commit more themselves. And they are committing more. In 2016, after many years of cuts, we turned a corner. Defense spending increased across europe and canada by 3. 8 in real terms, or ten billion u. S. Dollars more. But we still have a long way to go, so all allies must speed up their efforts to spend 2 of gdp on defence. This will be an important point when allied leaders meet here in brussels in may. So, mr. Vicepresident , thank you for our excellent discussion. We agree that nato is the most successful alliance in history because nato has been able to adapt and change when the world is changing. And we agree that we must continue to change, to keep our people safe. U. S. Leadership remains indispensable. So i really look forward to working with you and to welcoming President Trump in brussels in may. So please, you have the floor. Vice president pence thank you, mr. Secretarygeneral. It is a privilege to meet with you today to bring greetings on behalf of President Donald Trump and also to have the opportunity for a thorough and substantive discussion of the issues facing nato and our historic alliance. It has been a busy weekend for me. As i prepare to head back to the United States, im grateful. Im grateful to have had the opportunity to speak on saturday about our shared Security Issues at the munich security conference. And i appreciate your encouraging words about the message of the United States at that conference. And i also was pleased to be able to hold a series of productive bilateral meetings with leaders from all across the world. It was also deeply moving for me and my family to return to dachau, the very first concentration camp, and to be accompanied by a survivor by the name of abba naor. I had first visited that camp in 1977. I wanted my daughter to see it. And we went there and walked through that historic memorial. Abba told me that he arrived at dachau as a 17yearold boy. He told me of the nightmarish existence that he experienced there. But then he spoke words that resonate with our alliance. He said, then the americans came. Those words touched my heart, and they speak volumes about the history and importance of the North Atlantic Alliance and of nato, more of which ill address momentarily. But i thank you again for your hospitality in this Historic Place at this important time. I was also grateful today to meet with the leadership of the European Union. And on behalf of President Trump, i express the commitment of the United States to continued cooperation and partnership with the eu. While we have our differences on some issues, i reiterated this point in all of my meetings with the eu leadership and appreciated the cordial and substantive discussions that we had. But on saturday, as the secretary general mentioned, at the munich security conference, i brought a message from President Trump the message is the same one i bring to you today. It is my privilege here at the nato headquarters to express the strong support of President Trump and the United States of america for nato and our transatlantic alliance. The United States has been a proud and faithful member of nato since its founding in 1949. This alliance plays a crucial role in promoting peace and prosperity in the north atlantic and, frankly, in the entire world. The United States commitment to nato is clear. As we speak, President Trump and our administration are developing plans to ensure that the Strongest Military in the world in the United States becomes stronger still. Becomes stronger still. Let me assure you, mr. Secretary, that in the United States, were about the process of strengthening our military and restoring the arsenal of democracy. Working with members of congress, we intend to increase will congress, we intend to increase military funding to make it possible for us to provide for the common defense for the people of the United States, but also meet the obligations that we have with our treaty allies, including in this historic treaty. America, therefore, i can say with confidence america will do our part. But europes defense requires europes commitment as much as ours. At the wales summit in 2014, all 28 members of the Nato Alliance declared their intention to move towards a minimum security investment of 2 of their Gross Domestic Product on defense within a decade. As a candidate for office, President Trump actually called attention repeatedly to the fact that for too long, for too many, this burden has not been shared fairly among our nato allies. And that must come to an end. At this moment, the united him and states and only four other nato members meet this basic standard. And while we commend the few nations that are on track and have met the obligation, the truth is that many others, including some of our largest allies, still lack a clear and credible path to meet this minimum goal. So let me say again what i said this last weekend in munich, the president of the United States and the American People expect our allies to keep their word and to do more in our common defense. And the president expects Real Progress by the end of 2017. As secretary of Defense James Mattis said here in belgium just a few short days ago, if youre a nation that meets the 2 target, we need your help encouraging other nations to do likewise. If you have a plan to get there, as he said, our alliance needs you to accelerate it. And if you dont yet have a plan, these are my words not his get one. It is time for actions, not words. And let me thank specifically the secretarygeneral for your to outspoken leadership on this issue. As you and i discussed privately and youve discussed with the president , the world needs natos strength and leadership now more than ever before. And we are grateful, mr. Secretarygeneral, that you join us in calling for immediate and steady progress on all of our nato allies commitment to our common defense. The truth is the rise of adversaries new and old demands a strong response from this alliance. In the east, nato has embarked on improvement in its deterrent posture by stationing four combatready multinational battalions in poland and the baltic states. And as i assured the secretary general in our meeting today, in the wake of russian efforts to redraw International Borders by force, the United States will continue its leadership role in the enhanced Forward Presence Initiative and other critical joint actions. With regard to ukraine, as i said before, our alliance will continue to hold russia accountable and demand that they honor the minsk agreements, beginning with deescalating violence in eastern ukraine. For the sake of peace and for the sake of innocent human lives, we urge both sides to abide by the ceasefire that began today. And we pray for peace in ukraine. Be assured, the United States, as well, will continue to hold russia accountable, even as we search for new common ground, which President Trump firmly believes can be found. As i said in munich, though, natos continued leadership is also necessary in the fight against radical islamic terrorism, this, another item that as a candidate for office, President Trump first raised. As a candidate a year ago, he called on nato to evolve by expanding counterterrorism operations. And were encouraged to see under your leadership nato is in the process of doing just that. Its hard to speak of these issues in the abstract as i stand here in brussels, just now almost a year ago that three horrific suicide bombings occurred, 33 innocent victims, including four americans, hundreds more injured. I just want to assure the people of brussels and all the people of europe that your pain is our pain, your loss our loss. And its precisely why the president believes its essential that nato continue on this new path of evolving and expanding its mission to be more effective in counterterrorism. We will work tirelessly with our nato allies to ensure security in our countries and yours. But adapting to these new and evershifting challenges must remain a central focus of our collaboration and cooperation. Our alliance needs to intensify efforts to cut off terrorist funding and increase cyber capabilities. We must be as i said before, we must be as dominant in the Digital World as we are in the physical world. And the United States is committed to continuing to work with our nato allies to achieve that objective for the security of all the nations in our alliance. By building on tactics from the last century with these new century opportunities and challenges, nato will be better prepared to confront and overcome the new adversaries of overcome the new adversaries of the 21st century. Under President Trumps leadership, the United States, i can assure you, is fully committed to natos noble mission. We are grateful for your leadership, mr. Secretary general. And i know the president looks forward to working closely with you to advance our shared objectives. A strong nato means a safer world. And the United States of america looks forward to continuing to work with our partners in nato to achieve just that. So, mr. Secretary, thank you very much for your hospitality and for your leadership. Ms. Lungescu we have time for a few questions. We will start with the bbc Damian Grammaticus over there. Reporter Vice President , youve given your assurances today here in brussels to european leaders that the u. S. Is committed to working with europe. President trump has said very different things. He has said that the eu is a vehicle for germany, that the u. K. Was smart to get out and he expected other countries to follow. Who should european leaders listen to, you or President Trump, and can they be certain that what you say, the assurances you give, wont be contradicted in a tweet or a statement at a press Conference Tomorrow . And, secretary general, who do you listen to and are you concerned about differences in what you hear . Vice presdient pence thank you for the question. Let me say that it was my great privilege to serve as Vice President for the 45th president of the United States and the president directed me to go to munich and to come here to brussels with a very specific message. To go to munich, to the munich security conference, and make it very clear, as i do so again today here at natos headquarters, that the United States is expressing strong support for nato even as we challenge nato and challenge our allies to evolve to the new and widening challenges and further meet their responsibilities in this ever changing, ever complicated world of threats. But with regard to the eu the president also directed me to come here to brussels and i had the great privilege of meeting with leaders of the European Union throughout the morning and to express the desire of the United States to continue, continue cooperation and partnership with the European Union. We respect the determination of the people of Great Britain as manifested in brexit and we respect the judgment of the peoples of europe in the European Union and as i said today through many leaders we look forward to working across the channel with all parties in the years ahead on behalf of peace and prosperity. Stoltenberg i have heard the same thing, from secretaries Mathis Mathis and kelly. They have all conveyed the same message, that the United States is firmly committed to the Transatlantic Partnership and have an unwavering support for the Nato Alliance. And i welcome that very much, both very clear statements from all the leaders in the new administration, but also the fact that this is not only something we see in words, but we also see it in deeds. For the first time in many years we see an increase of u. S. Military presence in europe and we are deploying new battle groups. The u. S. Is deploying a new brigade and we see on the ground more u. S. Presence in europe so this is a commitment in words but also in deeds. When it comes to the European Union, i would like to underline the importance of the enhanced cooperation between nato and the European Union. We have actually been able to bring that to a new level, implementing many different issues or measures, and we signed a joint declaration between president tusk, president juncker, and me in warsaw, and we are now following up on implementing that. We are working closer on hybrid, on cyber, on addressing how to build the capacity in our neighborhood and how to stabilize our neighborhood are areas where we are working together with the European Union. And i think actually the natoeu cooperation is even more important now because we lives in times with turmoil and unpredictability and then we need a strong cooperation between nato and the European Union and i welcome the very strong u. S. Support for that approach. Next question ken thomas from the associated press. Mr. Thomas thank you mister Vice President. I wanted to ask about the dismissal of general flynn recently. Did you feel like you were misled by members of the Trump Administration, or were you frustrated that you were left out of the loop on this situation, and what assurances have you received from President Trump that Something Like this will not happen again . Out of the loop on this and for mister secretarygeneral, both you and the Trump Administration have talked about the need for additional funding for defence, what are the consequences for inaction by nato members . Is there any scenario in which the article 5 commitments might be considered conditional if nato members do not fulfil their defence spending obligations . Vice president pence let me say im very grateful for the close working relationship i have with the president of the United States. I would tell you that i was disappointed to learn that the facts that have been conveyed to me by general flynn were inaccurate. But we honour general flynns long service to the United States of america and i fully the president s decision to ask for his resignation. It was the proper decision. It was handled properly and in a timely way. I have great confidence in the administration going forward. Our secretaryn of matus, of director pompeo at the homeland security. It gives the American People great confidence. The team and this administration is providing the leadership and direction to those agencies, and also to the president of the United States to advance the security of our people. Our collective defense commitment is unconditional. It is absolute. It is the core of the nato line. And i welcome the strong commitment of the United States bond. S transatlantic at the same time, i fully support what has been underlined by President Trump and by mike pence. And this isce of not something that the u. S. Is asking for, it is also something that analysts agreed, leaders sat around the same table, in to stop thereed kurds. To gradually increase defense spending and then to meet the 2 target within that time. The good news is that we are moving in the right direction. ,f the many years of decline after many years of defense cuts across europe, we saw that in 2015, we stopped the cuts. And in 2016, we have a significant increase of 3. 8 . Way to go. Long much remains to be done. The corner turned and we are starting to move in the right direction. I am encouraged by that. I expect all allies to make good 2014, toomise made in increase defense spending and to make sure we have a fair share. Next question. Question to the Vice President and secretary general. The foreign minister has called the two percent goal too ambitious in that more spending would not necessarily lead to more security. You agree with that . I may,Vice President , if trump has repeatedly talked about his war with the press. Since nato is an alliance of values, can you assure the allies that the freighter of the press is not under threat in the United States . All allies have committed to to stop the kurds. And that includes germany. And it has been expressed from germany that they are committed to the commitment made in 2014. The good thing is that germany has started to increase defense spending. In 2017 there will be a significant increase in german around eighting by percent. So of course, germany has many other allies, a long way to go. Some allies will meet the 2 target within the year. Meeting the 2 this year, huania Wilson Ruby Dee lithuania will soon be able to meet that target. I expect all allies to keep the pledge they have made together. Mike pence the president to die and the administration are grateful for the secretary burdens focus on sharing. And for our nato allies. Germany and other countries. To make up the commitment that the treaty allies made to one another, i think it is a demonstration of trumps leadership that before taking office, he was speaking about the fact that the United States provides more than 70 of the cost of nato today. And we are committed to do our part. But the time has come for our nato allies to step forward. And the secretary generals message on this is that in all of our collective interests, i will tell you i had a very productive discussion with chancellor merkel, we spoke about just this issue and we do look forward to continue the dialogue. Our hope is that we will have a date very soon where chancellor merkel will come to the white house. I expect the president will talk to her about that as well. This is simply about all of us doing what we said we would do, to provide for our common defense. And in the everchanging threat environment in which we live, that is more important now than ever. With regards to your second question, with the president and support a free press. You canadas made that the president and all of us will continue to call out the media when they play fast and loose with the facts. And trump has a unique ability to speak directly to the American People. When the media gets it wrong, trump will take his case straight to the American People. Wall street journal. Mr. Vice president , you said the u. S. Commitment to the eu was steadfast and injuring. If the administration opposed to further disintegration of the eu with countries exiting . With nato what is the or else . Would you recommend cutting the Reassurance Initiative . Would you cut back on exercises . Michael pence your second question is a fair one. What is the or else . One secretary matus was here, he spoke plainly at the nato headquarters about the frustration of the American People. As our country continues to make investments in europes security, we see European Countries falling behind. The president put this issue front and center before the American People in his campaign. And frankly, it struck a chord. So i dont know what the answer know thatelse but i for the American People, it will not endure forever. The commitment that we have made to one another, that the American People are keeping with the people of europe and nato is a commitment that the president of the United States and the American People expect our allies in europe to keep as well. , questions about the future we will leave to the future. They are hypotheticals. But i have to tell you, with the secretary general strong leadership, having made the issue of burden sharing his top priority, having a partnership with so many countries across nato in my meetings over this weekend have expressed a desire to step forward and keep their word im very encouraged about the progress. What you see happening here is ofa real sense the result American Leadership in trump. We have a president to his stepping forward. He is expressing American Leadership, not just on the issue of funding, but also on his call last year that the nato should evolve to widen, widen its tactics to include counterterrorism, as a major focus. And nato has begun to do that. The United States looks forward to supporting that. With regard to the European Union, my message was simply that the United States is committed to continuing our partnership with the European Union. And i want to make that very clear. We understand the relationship between our economies. The deep heritage of Member States in the European Union and people in the United States of america. Looking for ways we could reassure this weekend, leaders of the European Union of our commitment to the ongoing cooperation. And maintaining that partnership in the years ahead. Hopefully it is a resident message that came through. And it is my great privilege to be here to deliver it. The focus is on how we can make sure that we succeed in we agreed on what about fair burden sharing. And therefore, i will not else. E on or we have heard from the Vice President and the defense minister at the meeting. And i think that does underline the importance of making sure that we move. That we succeed in increasing defense spending across europe and canada. And the good thing is that we have started. 3. 8 will increase in 2016. That is a significant step. But only one step in the right direction. We need more. We need to spend more and we need to spend better. Of the defense ministers and also in our cooperation with the European Union is how can we increase efficiency. How can we develop cooperation. How can we make sure we address the Defense Industry so we can reduce costs and get more out of what we invest. But there is no way we can choose between either spending more or better. We need to spend both more and better. 2014 wase committed in to spend 2 of gdp in a better way. And we are moving forward on both tracks. Thank you. This concludes this press conference. Inc. You. Thank you. This morning, President Trump toward the African American history museum. Bloomberg news tweeted this picture. He called the museum the in full and fantastic. Here are some more comments. Ladies and gentlemen, the president of the United States