Higher defense spending should show Russia that Alliance’s response to Russia’s build-up on NATO’s borders "will be devastating," - Rutte
Increasing defense spending by NATO countries will show Russia that the Alliance's response to Russia's build-up of its presence on the borders of NATO countries "will be devastating."
This was stated by NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte at a press conference with Czech President Petr Pavel on May 21,Suspilne reports , Censor.NET informs.
"We have open sources that say that by 2027, or by 2030, or by 2032, the Russians may be at such a level of power that they will try to do something stupid. What we need to do with NATO is to make sure that Putin knows that if he attacks now or in the near future, our response will be devastating," the Alliance Secretary General said.
He noted that the current priorities of the Alliance countries should be: maneuverable ground forces, long-range missiles, command and control systems, and air defense systems.
To do this, he said, countries need to increase defense spending.
"Therefore, with these 2% of GDP, we can protect ourselves today and tomorrow. And the day after tomorrow, we will need to do much more than 2%. As I said, this figure should be higher than 3%. GDP," Rutte said.
He also said that the following issues will be discussed at the June NATO summit in The Hague: defense spending, ensuring that the alliance's defense industry produces enough weapons, and assistance to Ukraine.
"We need to make sure that while the struggle in Ukraine continues, we are doing everything we can together to ensure that Ukraine is in the best position to continue this struggle. And when peace does come, that it is a ceasefire or a peace agreement that is long-lasting, that is durable, that we never go back to a repeat of what we saw with the Minsk agreements," the NATO Secretary General added.
