NATO must boost air and missile defences fourfold to counter Russia's threat, Rutte says

Published connected 09/06/2025 - 13:17 GMT+2•Updated 18:07

NATO members request to summation their aerial and rocket defences by 400% to antagonistic nan threat from Russia, nan caput of nan governmental and subject confederation said connected Monday, informing that Moscow could beryllium fresh to onslaught it wrong 5 years.

Secretary General Mark Rutte said during a sojourn to London that he expects each 32 NATO members to work together to a important hike successful subject spending astatine a acme successful nan Netherlands later this month.

Speaking astatine nan Chatham House deliberation tank, Rutte said Russia is outpacing NATO successful producing ammunition and nan confederation must return a “quantum leap" successful corporate defence.

"Wishful reasoning will not support america safe," Rutte said.

"We cannot dream distant nan danger. Hope is not a strategy. So NATO has to go a stronger, fairer and much lethal alliance."

Rutte has projected a target of 3.5% of economical output for subject spending and different 1.5% for "defence-related expenditure," specified arsenic roads, bridges, airfields and seaports.

He said he is assured nan confederation will work together to nan target astatine its acme successful The Hague connected 24-25 June.

At nan moment, 22 of nan 32 members meet aliases transcend NATO's existent 2% target, which was group successful 2014.

Rutte said he expects each to scope 2% by nan extremity of this year.

The caller target would meet a request by US President Donald Trump that personnel states walk 5% of their gross home merchandise connected defence.

Thousands much armoured vehicles needed

Trump has long questioned nan worth of NATO and complained that nan US provides information to European countries that don’t lend enough.

Rutte said he agreed that "America has carried excessively overmuch of nan load for excessively long."

Rutte said NATO needs thousands much armoured vehicles and millions much artillery shells, arsenic good arsenic a 400% summation successful aerial and rocket defence.

"We spot successful Ukraine really Russia delivers panic from above, truthful we will fortify nan shield that protects our skies," he said.

"Russia could beryllium fresh to usage subject unit against NATO wrong 5 years," Rutte added. "We are each connected nan eastbound flank now."

Rutte besides held talks connected Monday pinch British Prime Minister Keir Starmer and praised nan UK's committedness to summation defence spending arsenic "very bully stuff".

Starmer has pledged to boost subject spending to 2.5% of GDP by 2027 and to 3% by 2034.

Like different NATO members, nan UK has been reassessing its defence spending since Russia launched its full-scale penetration of Ukraine successful February 2022.

European NATO countries, led by nan UK and France, person scrambled to coordinate their defence positions as Trump transforms US overseas policy, seemingly side-lining Europe arsenic he looks to extremity nan warfare successful Ukraine.

Last week nan UK authorities said it would build caller nuclear-powered onslaught submarines, hole its service to conflict a warfare successful Europe and go "a battle-ready, armour-clad nation."

The plans correspond nan astir sweeping changes to British defences since nan illness of nan Soviet Union much than 3 decades ago.