Uploaded September 2026 | Updated September 2026, 2 weeks ago
(27 Aug 2026)
RESTRICTION SUMMARY:
ASSOCIATED PRESS
Brussels - 27 August 2026
1. Wide of the American flag and the NATO sign on the backdrop
2. Journalists at news conference
3. Wide of NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte and US Undersecretary of Defense Elbridge Colby walking to stage
4. Close of camera
5. SOUNDBITE (English) Mark Rutte, NATO Secretary-General:
“You were here in February, and then we discussed the absolute need for Europe to step up and Canada, to step-up in NATO and to have a more honest and a more equitable sharing of what we are doing within NATO with the United States. You're coined the phrase NATO 3.0 and that's basically what we're now all using because it was very well put. It is a stronger Europe and a stronger Canada in a stronger NATO and it is happening. When you look at the moment in 2025, a $139 billion extra spent on defense by the Canadians and the Europeans compared to the years before and it is still continuing and there is still much more to be done, we will get there.”
6. Mid of journalist with a camera
7. SOUNDBITE (English) Elbridge Colby, US Undersecretary of Defense:
“To go from a conversation that was in quite a different place a couple of years ago to one where we're actually having a kind of down-to-business conversation about, you know, how we go forward together in a world in which Europe, which is obviously a very wealthy continent, can and is taking primary responsibility for its own conventionalist defense, obviously, the United States remaining committed to NATO, remaining a link to this alliance here, of course and also Europe taking the lead in support to Ukraine. So the spirit that we come in is obviously one, as you said, sir, of consultation, of engagement. We want to hear from our allies. I mean that's the questionnaire that some of you asked about. We wanted our allies, to hear from them directly in writing, in the spirit of NATO 3.0, sir that you pointed to, which is a European-led conventional defense, but understanding how we manage across time, the extraordinary investments by governments like Poland, like Germany, like your country, the Netherlands, many others. We hope others will come along. But I think we really want to stress here, and again, thanks to President Trump, thanks to Secretary General Rutte, how extraordinary this progress has been and then to build in this review, as the Secretary Hegseth has called it, the NATO 3.0 review, to advance and accelerate what's happening and then, to look at the strategic posture at a high level of the U.S. Forces in Europe, obviously Europe, Europe remaining a critical interest of the United States even as we prioritize the Western Hemisphere and the First Island chain.”
8. Close of camera
9. Rutte and Colby shaking hands and leaving the stage
STORYLINE:
Europe remains of critical interest to the United States even as Washington shifts its strategic priorities, the U.S. undersecretary of defense said during a visit to NATO headquarters in Brussels.
Elbridge Colby said the two sides were now having "a down-to-business conversation" about how to move forward together, with Europe taking primary responsibility for its own conventional defense.
"Europe remaining a critical interest of the United States even as we prioritize the Western Hemisphere and the First Island chain," the Pentagon official said, adding that the United States remained committed to NATO and its alliance with Europe.
"We really want to stress how extraordinary this progress has been," he said, crediting both President Donald Trump and NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte.
Find out more about AP Archive: aparchive.com/HowWeWork
Twitter: twitter.com/AP_Archive
Facebook: facebook.com/APArchives
Instagram: instagram.com/APNews
You can license this story through AP Archive: aparchive.com/metadata/youtube/b621d17aa4894a01a2d981a2723a70fd
(27 Aug 2026)
RESTRICTION SUMMARY:
ASSOCIATED PRESS
Brussels - 27 August 2026
1. Wide of the American flag and the NATO sign on the backdrop
2. Journalists at news conference
3. Wide of NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte and US Undersecretary of Defense Elbridge Colby walking to stage
4. Close of camera
5. SOUNDBITE (English) Mark Rutte, NATO Secretary-General:
“You were here in February, and then we discussed the absolute need for Europe to step up and Canada, to step-up in NATO and to have a more honest and a more equitable sharing of what we are doing within NATO with the United States. You're coined the phrase NATO 3.0 and that's basically what we're now all using because it was very well put. It is a stronger Europe and a stronger Canada in a stronger NATO and it is happening. When you look at the moment in 2025, a $139 billion extra spent on defense by the Canadians and the Europeans compared to the years before and it is still continuing and there is still much more to be done, we will get there.”
6. Mid of journalist with a camera
7. SOUNDBITE (English) Elbridge Colby, US Undersecretary of Defense:
“To go from a conversation that was in quite a different place a couple of years ago to one where we're actually having a kind of down-to-business conversation about, you know, how we go forward together in a world in which Europe, which is obviously a very wealthy continent, can and is taking primary responsibility for its own conventionalist defense, obviously, the United States remaining committed to NATO, remaining a link to this alliance here, of course and also Europe taking the lead in support to Ukraine. So the spirit that we come in is obviously one, as you said, sir, of consultation, of engagement. We want to hear from our allies. I mean that's the questionnaire that some of you asked about. We wanted our allies, to hear from them directly in writing, in the spirit of NATO 3.0, sir that you pointed to, which is a European-led conventional defense, but understanding how we manage across time, the extraordinary investments by governments like Poland, like Germany, like your country, the Netherlands, many others. We hope others will come along. But I think we really want to stress here, and again, thanks to President Trump, thanks to Secretary General Rutte, how extraordinary this progress has been and then to build in this review, as the Secretary Hegseth has called it, the NATO 3.0 review, to advance and accelerate what's happening and then, to look at the strategic posture at a high level of the U.S. Forces in Europe, obviously Europe, Europe remaining a critical interest of the United States even as we prioritize the Western Hemisphere and the First Island chain.”
8. Close of camera
9. Rutte and Colby shaking hands and leaving the stage
STORYLINE:
Europe remains of critical interest to the United States even as Washington shifts its strategic priorities, the U.S. undersecretary of defense said during a visit to NATO headquarters in Brussels.
Elbridge Colby said the two sides were now having "a down-to-business conversation" about how to move forward together, with Europe taking primary responsibility for its own conventional defense.
"Europe remaining a critical interest of the United States even as we prioritize the Western Hemisphere and the First Island chain," the Pentagon official said, adding that the United States remained committed to NATO and its alliance with Europe.
"We really want to stress how extraordinary this progress has been," he said, crediting both President Donald Trump and NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte.
Find out more about AP Archive: aparchive.com/HowWeWork
Twitter: twitter.com/AP_Archive
Facebook: facebook.com/APArchives
Instagram: instagram.com/APNews
You can license this story through AP Archive: aparchive.com/metadata/youtube/b621d17aa4894a01a2d981a2723a70fd
