NATO chief calls for massive boost in defense spending over Russian threat
Photo: NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte (Getty Images)
NATO members need to make a quantum leap in collective defense against the backdrop of the continuing threat from Russia. Air and missile defense needs to be increased by 400%, NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte says.
"Danger will not disappear even when the war in Ukraine ends. We must have more forces and capabilities to implement our defense plans in full," he says in a speech at Chatham House.
Mark Rutte emphasizes that NATO members need to increase air and missile defense by 400%.
"We see in Ukraine how Russia delivers terror from above, so we will strengthen the shield that protects our skies," the NATO chief is expected to say.
NATO spending
Rutte wants NATO countries to support a new military spending target of 3.5% of national product by 2032 at a meeting later this month, as well as 1.5% of gross domestic product to be spent on security-related projects such as cyber and border control.
This call follows US President Donald Trump's demand that NATO members allocate 5% of their GDP to defense.
Earlier, NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte said that Russia, with a much weaker economy than NATO, produces as much ammunition in three months as the Alliance produces in a year.
