NATO sees Russia as 'long-term threat' - Rutte
Mark Rutte (Photo: Getty Images)
NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte stated that the European allies of the US are united in the view that Russia poses a 'long-term threat', according to CNN.
“We all agree, in NATO, that Russia is the long-term threat to NATO territory, to the whole of the Euro-Atlantic territory,” said Rutte after his meeting with US President Donald Trump at the White House.
He also addressed the topic of NATO defense spending, as Trump has long insisted that European countries are not contributing the required 2% of their GDP and has argued the target should be even higher. Rutte agreed, stating that it should be significantly higher than the well-known 2%.
“Clearly, with 2%, we cannot defend NATO territory,” the head of the Alliance added.
Russia and NATO
Last week, British fighter jets intercepted Russian aircraft twice as they approached NATO’s borders.
We also reported that, according to assessments by the US-based Institute for the Study of War (ISW), the Russian government is launching a large-scale propaganda campaign aimed at convincing its population of the necessity of a great war against NATO.
