>>> WELCOME BACK TO THE WEEKEND. WE WILL BEGIN THIS HOUR WITH THE FIRST TIME THE HOUSE PASSED ASSISTANCE TO UKRAINE AND MORE THAN SIX MONTHS. ON SATURDAY, MEMBERS OF CONGRESS APPROVED A 60 BILLION- DOLLAR LIFELINE TO THE WAR-TORN COUNTRY AND IT IS PART OF A MORE BROAD 95 BILLION-DOLLAR PACKAGE. IT ALSO INCLUDED AID TO ISRAEL AND THE INDO-PACIFIC. SENATE MAJORITY LEADER CHUCK SCHUMER WILL HOLD A VOTE ON THE BILL AS SOON AS TUESDAY BEFORE SENDING THEM TO THE PRESIDENT'S DESK. JOINING US IS THE SECRETARY GENERAL OF NATO, THE NATO. THANK YOU FOR BEING WITH US TODAY. >> THANK YOU FOR HAVING ME. >> MR. SECRETARY, I'M CURIOUS OF THE NEWS OF YESTERDAY IS BEING RECEIVED BY NATO ALLIES. >> NATO ALLIES OR DOES IT IS IMPORTANT THAT UKRAINE GET THE SUPPORT THEY NEED AND THE PACKAGE FROM THE UNITED STATES WILL HELP THEM TO SHOOT DOWN THE RUSSIAN MISSILES AND DEFEND THEMSELVES ON THE FRONT LINE AND TO CONDUCT DEEP STRIKES AGAINST THE RUSSIAN MILITARY. IT IS DEMONSTRATING THE U.S.'S COMMITMENT TO UKRAINE. >> MR. SECRETARY, YOU NOTED IN AN INTERVIEW WITH POLITICO THAT NATO HAS AIR DEFENSE SYSTEMS READY FOR UKRAINE. CAN YOU TALK MORE ABOUT THAT, WHAT THAT LOOKS LIKE AND HOW WILL BE PUT INTO PLACE GIVEN THE VOTE YESTERDAY AND THE HOUSE AND THE SEEMINGLY IMPORTANT MOVEMENT TOWARD SHORING UP UKRAINE AS WE GET READY FOR A POTENTIAL SUMMER OFFENSIVE BY RUSSIA? >> ALL NATO DEFENSE MINISTERS MET ON FRIDAY TOGETHER WITH PRESIDENT VOLODYMYR ZELENSKYY AND THERE IS AN URGENT NEED FOR MORE DEFENSE. AND MINISTERS AGREED. THEREFORE, ALLIES ARE STEPPING UP THE OPERATION OF DIFFERENT TYPES OF AIR DEFENSE SYSTEMS TO UKRAINE. GERMANY HAS ALREADY DECIDED ON THE MOST ADVANCED AND MOST CAPABLE AIR DEFENSE SYSTEM AND THERE IS A WIDE RANGE AND ARE ALL CONTRIBUTING TO THE PROTECTION OF UKRAINIAN SKIES AND ALLIES ARE STEPPING UP AND WILL DELIVER MORE. I EXPECT NEW ANNOUNCEMENTS. AND THE U.S. PACKAGE IS PART OF THE STRENGTH FOR UKRAINE AND AIR DEFENSE. THIS IS CRITICAL. IF RUSSIA GETS CONTROL OVER THE AIRSPACE, UKRAINE WILL BE A DIFFICULT DECISION. >> IS IT TOO LATE FOR UKRAINE? THE AID IS ON THE WAY. IT WILL BE THERE SOON. GIVEN THE DIRE STRAITS IN THE COUNTRY, IS IT TOO LATE? WILL BE AID ARRIVE IN TIME TO MAKE A DIFFERENCE? >> IT IS NOT TOO LATE. BUT THERE HAS BEEN CONSEQUENCES AND UKRAINIAN FOR MONTHS HAS SAID 1-5-5-10. IT DEPENDS. RUSSIA HAS MORE AMMUNITION. AND WE HAVE SEEN FEWER RUSSIAN MISSILES, DRONES HAVE BEEN SHUT DOWN SIMPLY BECAUSE THEY LACK THE AIR DEFENSE SYSTEM. IT IS NOT TOO LATE. UKRAINE HAS AN ENORMOUS SKILL DEFENDING THE COUNTRY. WE HAVE TO MEMBER THAT WE STARTED AT THE BEGINNING OF THE WAR. MOST EXPERTS BELIEVE RUSSIA WILL TAKE KYIV WITHIN DAYS AND UKRAINE WITHIN WEEKS. THAT HAS NOT HAPPENED. THEY HAVE LIMITED 50% OF THE LAND. THEY ARE ABLE TO SHOOT DOWN RUSSIAN MISSILES AND CONDUCT DEEP STRIKES AND OPEN A CORRIDOR IN THE BLACK SEA. WE DELIVERED WEAPONS. >> MR. SECRETARY, YOU HAVE OUR FORMER PRESIDENT, CURRENTLY, UNELECTED PRIVATE CITIZEN MEETING WITH THE PRESIDENT OF POLAND. I WANT TO READ YOU SOMETHING FROM NBC NEWS. THEY HAD DISCUSSED HER PROPOSAL THAT NATO MEMBERS SPEND AT LEAST 3% OF THEIR GROSS DOMESTIC PRODUCT, THE GDP, ON DEFENSE. THE CURRENT MINIMUM TARGET IS 2%. I WANT TO KNOW WHAT IT SAYS TO YOU THAT YOU HAVE THE PRESIDENT OF POLAND MEETING WITH AN UNELECTED PRIVATE U.S. CITIZEN AND DISCUSSING NATO IN THIS WAY, GIVEN THE THINGS THE FORMER PRESIDENT HAS SAID ABOUT NATO. >> IT IS ON EXACTLY WHAT NATO COUNTRIES COME WHEN THEY ARE MEETING. WHAT MATTERS IS SWEETIE ALL AGREE WE NEED TO INVEST MORE IN DEFENSE AND THAT IS THE REASON WHY THE LATEST SUMMIT AGREED NOT TO STRIVE TOWARDS SPENDING 2% OF GDP AS IT APPEARS IN THE LANGUAGE. BUT STATED CLEARLY 2% OF GDP IS AT MINIMUM. THE GOOD NEWS IS THAT THIS YEAR, I EXPECT 20 OR MORE NATO ALLIES TO INVEST MORE THAN 2% OF GDP ON THE FENCE. AND TO SUPPORT UKRAINE. HALF OF THE MILITARY SUPPORT TO UKRAINE COMES FROM KNOWN U.S. ALLIES. CANADA AND EUROPEAN ALLIES. IF YOU ADD ECONOMIC SUPPORT AND MILLIONS OF UKRAINIAN REFUGEES AND UKRAINE, EUROPEAN ALLIES ARE PAYING A HIGHER ECONOMIC PRICE TO SUPPORT UKRAINE IN THE UNITED STATES. AND STANDING TOGETHER AND PROTECTING EACH OTHER AND PROVIDING SUPPORT TO UKRAINE. >> MR. SECRETARY, TWO WEEKS AGO, I BELIEVE PRESIDENT BIDEN MARKED THE 75TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE NATO ALLIANCE. HE REFERRED TO IT IS THE GREATEST MILITARY ALLIANCE IN THE HISTORY OF THE WORLD. THERE IS A REAL SPLIT SCREEN BETWEEN THE CURRENT PRESIDENT JOE BIDEN AND HIS CHALLENGER IN THE U.S. ELECTION, DONALD TRUMP, THE FORMER PRESIDENT WHO HAS MADE VERY CLEAR THAT HE IS NOT A SUPPORTER OF NATO AND HAS THREATENED TO PULL OUT MANY TIMES WHEN HE HIMSELF WAS PRESIDENT. THERE IS A LOT OF REPORTING. NBC NEWS IS REPORTING THAT NATO ALLIES ARE CONCERNED ABOUT THE PROSPECT OF DONALD TRUMP'S RETURN. WHAT IS THE CONVERSATION YOU ARE HAVING WITH THE NATO ALLIES? AND IS THIS SOMETHING NATO IS DOING ON -- IF THERE IS NO SUCCESS ON NOVEMBER 5th? >> IT IS IMPORTANT TO STAY OUT OF THE DOMESTIC POLICIES. SO WE SHOULD BE A BIPARTISAN ISSUE IN THE UNITED STATES AS WE ARE IN OTHER COUNTRIES. I CANNOT COMMENT ON DIFFERENT CANDIDATES. WHAT I CAN SAY IS THAT I EXPECT REGARDLESS OF THE OUTCOME OF THE U.S. ELECTIONS, THE UNITED STATES WILL REMAIN AN ALLY FIRST AND FOREMOST BECAUSE OF THE SECURITY INTEREST OF THE UNITED STATES. UNITED STATES IS SAFER AND STRONGER WITH NATO. AND NATO HAS MORE THAN 30 ALLIES WHICH IS SOMETHING RUSSIA AND CHINA DON'T HAVE IT ALL. AND TOGETHER, 50%. NATO IS MAKING THE U.S. STRONGER. AND SECOND, STRONG BIPARTISAN SUPPORT. WE SEE THAT IN THE OPINION POLLS AND IN U.S. CONGRESS. AND THEN THE CRITICISM FROM FORMER PRESIDENT AND OTHERS HAVE NOT MAINLY BEEN AGAINST NATO BUT NATO ALLIES NOT SPENDING ENOUGH ON NATO. AND THAT IS NOT CHANGING. THE VAST MAJORITY IS SPENDING 2% OR MORE AND THOSE NOT YET A 50%. ALLIES ARE INVESTING MORE. AND THAT IS THE REASON FOR THE UNITED STATES TO STAY IN NATO. >> WE HAD A SITUATION WITH RUSSIA WITH THE AID COMING TO UKRAINE. THE U.S. IS ALSO CONSIDERING SENDING ADDITIONAL MILITARY ADVISORS TO UKRAINE. WHAT IS YOUR ASSESSMENT OF THE EFFORT? HOW DO YOU THINK THAT PLAYS OUT IN SECURING AND STRENGTHENING UKRAINE'S POSITION WHEN ALL THE OTHER MILITARY HARDWARE AND ELEMENTS ARE IN PLACE? >> THERE IS NO PLAN OR PLANS FOR ANY NATO COMBAT PRESENCE IN UKRAINE. BUT OF COURSE, SEVERAL MEN AND WOMEN IN UNIFORM AT THE EMBASSY ARE GETTING ADVICE AND SO ON. I THINK WE NEED TO DISTINGUISH BETWEEN PEOPLE THAT MAY BE PRESENT OR ARE PRESENT AND COMBAT THE PRESENCE OF THE COMBAT FORCES AND PLANS FOR ANY PRESENCE OF THAT KIND. WHAT YOU DO IN UKRAINE IS HELP THEM TO DEFEND THEMSELVES. WE HAVE TO REMEMBER THIS IS LAUNCHED BY RUSSIA AGAINST UKRAINE AND UKRAINE HAS THE RIGHT TO DEFEND THEMSELVES AND WE HAVE THE RIGHT TO HELP THEM TO DO SO BY PROVIDING SUPPORT. THAT, WE HAVE TO REMEMBER MILITARY SUPPORT IS PROVIDING TO UKRAINE AN INVESTMENT.
