NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte has told the military alliance’s member states to “prepare for war” and significantly increase defence spending.
Speaking to German newspaper Bild am Sonntag on February 2, he stressed that progress was being made thanks to US President Donald Trump’s previous term but not enough.
Former prime minister of the Netherlands Rutte, who took up his NATO role on October 1 last year, also noted that Germany had increased its efforts since Russia invaded Ukraine, but insisted more needed to be done.
“Trump was generally right with this demand even in his last term in office. And thanks to this initiative, we have invested more.”
“Since 2014, European allies and Canada have spent over $640 billion on defence,” he said.
“More than two-thirds of NATO partners now spend more than 2 per cent on armaments – thanks in part to Trump, by the way.”
“But we have to invest even more and the allies will decide in the coming months how exactly we measure this. But I can assure you of one thing: it will be much, much, much more than 2 per cent,” Rutte said.
Regarding Germany, he noted: “First of all, it must be said that the Germans have done a lot right since the beginning of the war in Ukraine.”
“They are sending a brigade to Lithuania on a permanent basis and supporting Ukraine with aid like no other European NATO state. They are number one in Europe.”
“However, given the size of the German economy, we naturally want them to do much more. And I am convinced that for Germany, with its fantastic arms companies and its innovative strength, this means that they have to increase production. Germany must increase arms spending, that will be necessary,” Rutte added.
Asked why he was calling for more spending, he said: “Let me tell you very clearly: We must prepare for war.”
“This is the best way to avoid war.”
Rutte noted that Russia now paid out 40 per cent of its state budget on defence, or 10 per cent of its national income, while NATO members with a much bigger combined budget only spent around 2 per cent.
He said NATO had to stick together as an alliance but that the burden must be shared fairly between Europe, Canada and the US.
Rutte stressed that not only was the situation with Russia dangerous but that the Chinese were also expanding their military capabilities enormously.
He warned that if Europe showed weakness, “Russia could try something. Just like they did in Ukraine.”
He acknowledged that Moscow had made gains in Eastern Ukraine but claimed that came at a high price and that the Russians were not achieving their goals.
Rutte said it was in Europe’s interest to make sure that Ukraine was in the best possible position regarding defence against the aggressors.
NATO countries will deploy frigates, patrol aircraft and naval drones in the Baltic Sea to help protect critical infrastructure and reserve the right to take action against ships suspected of posing a security threat. https://t.co/f26Bbv9v5v
— Brussels Signal (@brusselssignal) January 14, 2025
Regarding numerous incidents of suspected Russian-linked sabotage of undersea cables in the Baltic Sea, Rutte said the Kremlin often turned to destabilising actions by attacking critical infrastructure.
He said the new US administration was also right to demand better defence in the Arctic and Greenland.
“What I think is really good is that the prime minister of Denmark immediately had talks with President Trump.
“Essentially, it was about the high urgency of defence in the far north. This is not only about Greenland, but also about Iceland, Norway, Finland, Sweden and Canada. We must all work together to protect the areas,” Rutte said.
“And Trump is right about that.”
Also on February 2, UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer had a similar message.
Starmer was in Brussels ahead of an informal meeting of the European Council on February 3. He said he would urge European countries to step up and take on a greater share of defence and security responsibilities.
Starmer said he would also call on the European Union to sustain military support for Ukraine, according to a statement from his office, Bloomberg reported.
He said he wanted to help of his European partners “in keeping up the pressure, targeting the energy revenues and the companies supplying his missile factories to crush Putin’s war machine”.
Starmer further stated he wanted an ambitious UK-EU defence and security partnership to increase co-0operation against shared threats, cross-border crime and illegal migration.
Newly installed NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte has lauded US President-elect Donald Trump for his past efforts in making members of the military alliance invest more in defence. https://t.co/9PoIE2L35I
— Brussels Signal (@brusselssignal) November 7, 2024
