Rutte urges NATO countries to increase defense spending
Photo: NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte (Getty Images)
NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte has called on Alliance members to increase their defense spending beyond the shared target of 2% of GDP. This target, set 10 years ago, is now considered too low due to new challenges posed by Russia, Reuters reports.
Rutte made this statement during a speech in Lisbon, alongside Portuguese Prime Minister Luís Montenegro.
"To keep NATO strong, we must, however, continue to adapt and to guarantee our security in the future; we also need to ramp up our efforts now. That also means we need to spend more on our defense," said the NATO Secretary General.
Rutte noted that the 2% GDP target set 10 years ago is insufficient to address "the challenges of tomorrow."
Meanwhile, the Portuguese Prime Minister confirmed the country's commitment to reach the 2% target by 2029. It was noted that in 2023, Portugal spent 1.5% of its GDP on commitments to NATO.
Defense spending of NATO countries
Last week, President Donald Trump stated that NATO countries should increase their defense spending to 5% of GDP. He argued that this would be a fair approach to reduce the financial burden on the United States.
Today, it was reported that Lithuania and Estonia, after "good and constructive pressure" from the US, have promised to reach 5% defense spending.
Bloomberg previously reported that NATO is considering raising the defense spending target from 2% to 3% of GDP.
