NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte said that Alliance leaders will make decisions at a summit in The Hague next month that will make NATO a stronger and more lethal alliance, as a way for member countries to remain safe in an increasingly dangerous environment.
In his address today at the plenary session of the spring session of the NATO Parliamentary Assembly in Dayton, Ohio, the US state, Rutte emphasized that the world is at a critical moment for security, with numerous threats and challenges.
“There is Russia’s brutal war against Ukraine, the threat of terrorism, intense global competition, flashpoints around the world from the Middle East to Asia,” Rutte said, according to the Alliance’s website.
Rutte pointed to the lessons of history, recalling that in Dayton 30 years ago, in 1995, the end of the war in Bosnia and Herzegovina was signed, which laid the foundations for peace in Bosnia and Herzegovina.
“NATO has supported peace and stability there and throughout the Western Balkans for 30 years. Our commitment remains equally strong today,” Rutte said.
He added that above all, the people and politicians in BiH and across the region must show progress.
“The Western Balkans have shown that peace is possible,” said Rutte, adding that Europe is not at peace today because Russia has brought war back to Europe.
“Its aggression against Ukraine must stop and it must stop – now,” said Rutte, adding that NATO fully supports US President Donald Trump’s efforts to end the fighting in Ukraine.
He added that NATO would continue its long-term support for Ukraine, saying that this did not mean prolonging the war, but ensuring that Ukraine could defend itself and prevent future aggression.
Rutte said that Russia had joined forces with China, North Korea and Iran, that they were expanding their military capabilities and were preparing for a long-term confrontation, and added that NATO must prepare to respond to such threats, not delay preparations.
“We must act now and build defenses, delay is dangerous,” said Rutte.
He said NATO must increase defense spending to be stronger and stressed that NATO defense ministers would agree next week in Brussels to increase defense investment, which is necessary to meet the new goals.
He said the Alliance needed more resources, forces and capabilities so that it was ready to face any threat and could implement its collective defense plans to the full.
Rutte stressed that most allies would reach the two percent of GDP target for defense spending this year, and that many had announced plans to go beyond that.
“We know that the two percent pledge agreed in 2014 is no longer enough. So in 2025 we are finalizing a plan to dramatically increase defense spending in all Alliance countries,” Rutte said.
That plan means more money for key military needs and more money for defense-related investments, including infrastructure, Rutte said.
He said he was working with member state leaders on this and that formal decisions on it were being prepared at a summit in The Hague. He called on parliamentarians to help make the public understand that more defense spending is needed, as well as to help approve the budgets.
More defense production will also be needed, he said, adding that NATO’s goal is to strengthen and expand the industrial base across the alliance.
“We are committed to increasing defense production, fostering innovation and removing barriers to cooperation,” Rutte said.
He also stressed that efforts would be made to balance the security burden of Alliance countries so that all allies contribute their fair share.
“I am encouraged to see that Europe and Canada are responding to this with higher defense spending,” Rutte said, stressing that a strong transatlantic alliance is good for both Europe and the United States.
He assured that NATO will always remain a defensive alliance, that by wanting to become more lethal it means strengthening deterrence and providing member states’ militaries with what they need to keep their countries safe.
“So that a potential aggressor has no doubt about our resolve. To protect our way of life, we will always do whatever is necessary to prevent any aggression against us,” said Rutte, adding that preparations for war are necessary to preserve peace, Beta writes.
