Doorstop Interview, 2025 NATO Summit - The Hague

SUBJECTS: NATO; Defence Spending; Ukraine; Australia-US Relationship; Middle East conflict

DEPUTY PRIME MINISTER, RICHARD MARLES: Well, we just concluded a really successful summit here at the NATO gathering in The Hague. We have been able to announce that we will be deploying an E-7 Wedgetail to Poland in August for a three month rotation, which will help support Ukraine in its struggle and defiance against Russia. There will be about 100 Australian personnel who come with that asset. In addition to that, we have also announced more sanctions in relation to Russia, targeted financial and travel sanctions on 37 individuals and seven entities which go to areas of defence, energy and other finance and other critical sectors within the Russian economy. As we mentioned earlier, yesterday we've signed an agreement with NATO Support and Procurement Agency, which is going to be really important in terms of Australia being able to utilize this agency in terms of our own procurement, but also to have Australian defence industry companies participate through that agency in terms of the procurement that occurs here in Europe. And I think that last point is also really significant in terms of, more broadly, what we've seen happen at the NATO summit. Obviously, there's been a very significant commitment that's been made by NATO members in relation to their defence spending. What matters now is that the quality of that defence spending is the best that it can be. It really does mean there is huge opportunities in terms of much greater coordination of our defence industries, so that we are in fact, increasing production across all of our countries which will mean that there is actual better capability which results from this increase in expenditure. And so being able to do more between ourselves and NATO countries in terms of defence industries is, I think, a really important opportunity for Australia and very much part of what's been discussed here. More broadly, this meeting has reaffirmed the connection that exists between the Indo Pacific on the one hand and the North Atlantic on the other. We are obviously focused on the Indo Pacific in terms of our own strategic landscape, but what's happening here in Europe is having an influence on the strategic landscape in the Indo Pacific. And as we seek to focus on the Indo Pacific, we really need to have an eye on what's occurring here, which is why this meeting has been so important and has grown importance over the last few years. And I see it as being very important as we go into the future.

JOURNALIST: You talk about the quality of spending, but I mean this, the central agreement from this is about quantity of spending. That's the 5 per cent figure of GDP, and then obviously, Secretary General Rutte’s text message to Donald Trump when he said, quote, ‘Europe should pay big as they should’. Is this the kind of organization you hope perhaps doesn't speak about Australia in the same manner that appears to have spoken about European world leaders?

MARLES: Look, obviously, a very significant decision has been made here in relation to European defence spending, and that is fundamentally a matter for NATO. We've gone through our own process of assessing our strategic landscape, assessing the threats that exist there, and the kind of defence force we need to build in order to meet those threats, to meet the strategic moment, and then to resource that. And what that has seen is the biggest peacetime increase in Australian Defence spending that we have seen in our history. Now that is a story which is, which is understood here. and we'll continue to assess what our needs are going forward. And as our prime minister has said, we will resource that.

JOURNALIST: Can you just explain practically what that wedge tail is going to do in Poland?

MARLES: What the Wedgetail does is provide much greater visibility of the domain in the broader sense- that probably it gets into the details here or the specifics, which are hard to explain, but it does give much greater domain awareness. We've had this deployment previously. It was very much welcomed in terms of supporting the decision making that occurs across the domain, including, obviously Ukraine, and so it is a really important capability. We are one of the few countries which operates it. And so, when I was in Ukraine in April of last year, it was really evident to me that this is a capability that would be much desired again. And so we're really pleased to be able to announce that it will be returning for that three month deployment. 

JOURNALIST: So is that in terms of surveillance in Ukraine?

MARLES: It provides domain awareness across Ukraine and across the entry into Ukraine, and more broadly, the battle space around Ukraine. 

JOURNALIST: Donald Trump's name was on that meeting that was scheduled to be held a few moments ago until it was struck from it. Is it regretful that the US president wasn't there?

MARLES: Look, no, it was a really important meeting with the Secretary General. And we reaffirmed in the meeting how important the two theatres are to each other. I mean, the point I made was that in Japan, in Korea and in New Zealand, we have three countries which are deeply important in terms of Australia's strategic interests. In respect of all of them, we really are at a high point of our bilateral relationship, and we are working increasingly as a team. But we all see how significantly what's playing out in Europe is influencing the Indo Pacific. And so in that sense, to be able to have the best lines of communication possible with NATO, to be working as closely as possible with NATO is very much in the advantage of the four of us in terms of how we jointly assert our national interests within the Indo Pacific. And it was a very important meeting in respect of that, and I'm sure it has been now a feature of NATO summits, and I'm sure it will be going forward. 

JOURNALIST: Japan was in that meeting. Do you think it's, do you think it's helpful- I mean, the US President this morning referenced the bombing of the Iranian facilities with the bombings on Hiroshima and Nagasaki. How do you think that language is helpful in dialogues like this?

MARLES: Look, I mean, I'm obviously not going to comment on that. Our relationship with Japan is very deep, is very close- we both work very closely with the United States. We held a trilateral between our three defence ministers just a few weeks ago in Singapore. So that cooperation is as close as it really has ever been. And as I say, we all feel Japan and ourselves, but Korea and New Zealand, how important it is to be able to engage here with NATO, given our strategic circumstances in the Indo Pacific. 

JOURNALST: Have you met with Pete Hegseth while here?

MARLES: No, I've not. 

JOURNALIST: Is that disappointing? 

MARLES: No. I mean, look, I'm in contact with Pete. We met in Singapore just a few weeks ago, and I met him literally a few months before that. You know, what I've discovered in terms of that, which makes sense, in terms of our relationship with the United States, is that, you know, I have as much engagement with the US Secretary of Defense as I have with any counterpart around the building. So there'll be opportunities to be able to further the conversations that need to be had with Pete Hegseth in the future. 

JOURNALIST: Do you have any update on repatriation flights? Is there going to be any more this week from the Middle East? 

MARLES: Look, I don't have any substantive updates to what I gave you yesterday, and the fact that we're obviously poised and ready to provide assistance where we can.

JOURNALIST: Just in terms of the summit itself, have you found that this is, I guess, been catered to flatter Donald Trump as an official attending this event?

MARLES: What do you mean? 

JOURNALIST: I mean, I guess, the Secretary General of the Alliance, you know, at every opportunity, saying how great the President is. And, of course, there's that text message that's been leaked- It's been shortened as well this event. So do you find that this has been catered to, I guess, flatter the Americans, and in particular, the President?

MARLES: Look, I actually think this has been a very historic summit. And in all the meetings that I've had with members of NATO during the course of yesterday and today, everyone is very seized with the significance of this moment. So, I think this is a historic summit in terms of what it represents around NATO defence spending- and it should be seen in that context. Obviously the United States is a fundamentally important member of NATO and has been since the moment that NATO was founded. And so it's not surprising to me that the United States President features very significantly in how any given meeting of NATO is described. 

JOURNALIST: Did you have an opportunity to meet with President Zelensky, given the commitment from the new Wedgetail or any one from Ukraine?

MARLES: Not President Zelensky, but I did meet with Rustem Umerov, my counterpart, the Minister of Defence, I had a bilateral with him, and I think I mentioned this yesterday, we were able to talk about how we can move forward in terms of providing assistance to Ukraine. And obviously I reaffirmed the fact that Australia will stand with Ukraine for as long as it takes for Ukraine to resolve this on its terms. But, you know, we see this as something which is going to play out over a significant period of time, and we are keen to work out exactly how we can continue to provide assistance over that period of time. I mean, as I said yesterday, we have always been postured to continue to do more with Ukraine and that remains the case now. It is the key, key announcement that we made at this NATO Summit in terms of the presence of E-7, and we will continue to work with Ukraine going forward about how we can continue to provide assistance. Thanks.

ENDS