Thread by @jseldin

Happening now: @NATO SecGen @jensstoltenberg news conference in #MadridNATO22

Says Madrid Summit reinforces an alliance and world view "based on norms & values instead of brute violence"

#Indo-pacific countries at #MadridNATO22 - "We appreciate very much the partnership with them" per @NATO's @jensstoltenberg, asked abt #China

China's coercive behavior "matters for every country concerned abt the freedom of navigation" & trade in the region

"It's #Russia that has walked away from this attempt to build more trust, more partnership" per @NATO's @jensstoltenberg

"Our relationship w/#Russia is at the lowest level since the #ColdWar but there is no doubt that the responsibility for that is Russia"

"We cannot be naive when it comes to #Russia" per @NATO's @jensstoltenberg

"They use force" for #Putin to create a sphere of influence, he says, necessitating an increased NATO military presence

"The reality is we have been preparing for this since 2014" per @NATO's @jensstoltenberg on the alliance's response to #Russia's belligerent behavior, citing start of Russian aggression in eastern #Ukraine

.@NATO's @jensstoltenberg spoke following meeting with partners, including the EU, #Georgia, #Finland & #Sweden, #Australia, #NewZealand #Japan #SouthKorea

"We now face an era of strategic competition" per @NATO's @jensstoltenberg

"We see a deepening strategic partnership btw #Moscow & #Beijing, & #China growing assertiveness & its coercive policies have consequences for the security of allies & our partners"

#China "bullying its neighbors & threatening #Taiwan" per @NATO's @jensstoltenberg

Stoltenberg also accuses #Beijing of "spreading #Russia|n lies & #disinformation"

"#China is not our adversary but we must be clear-eyed abt the challenges it represents" per @NATO's @jensstoltenberg

"We must continue to stand w/our partners to preserve the rules-based int'l order"