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NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte expressed confidence that NATO countries will start spending more than 2% of their GDP on defense and emphasized that he fully agrees with Donald Trump’s criticism of Europe on this matter.
Rutte repeated his congratulations to Donald Trump on his victory in the U.S. and noted that Trump’s criticism during his previous term steered NATO members’ actions in the right direction.
“He encouraged us to move towards defense spending of over 2% of GDP. And now, including thanks to him, NATO is spending more than 2%. And we must do more – we know this,” said Rutte.
He mentioned that during meetings with European leaders, and in the future with Trump, he wants to discuss in detail the response to the involvement of North Korean military forces in the war against Ukraine, as well as the growing cooperation between Russia, North Korea, Iran, and China, which could strengthen threats directly to NATO members, including the U.S.
“Of course, part of this is the point that the ‘European’ part of NATO must spend more to ensure we meet our capabilities goals,” Rutte added.
When asked what he considers an appropriate defense spending target under current circumstances, Rutte responded, “It will definitely be much more than 2%, I say this absolutely clearly.”
He continued that discussions could focus on the principle of investments with countries, aiming for specific capabilities for certain nations, rather than a “rigid figure” of GDP spending. This would allow for varying investments among member countries.
“But Trump is absolutely right – we will not achieve what is needed with 2%,” Rutte added.
Recently, the NATO Secretary General also stated that the North Atlantic Alliance must do more to change the trajectory of the war.
Read also: John Herbst: America Must Let Ukraine Win and Provide Even Tomahawk Missiles
