Russia, together with China, North Korea and Iran, are preparing for long confrontation with West, - Rutte
Russia, with the support of China, Iran, and the DPRK, is preparing for a prolonged confrontation with the West. In view of this, NATO Allies should increase defense spending and make the Alliance stronger to be ready to meet any challenges.
This was stated by NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte during a speech at a meeting of the NATO Parliamentary Assembly,Ukrinform reports, Censor.NET reports.
"During the next summit in The Hague, the leaders of the allied countries will make decisions to make NATO a stronger, fairer and more deadly alliance. Because we live in a more dangerous world, and this is a critical moment for our security. There are numerous threats and challenges. These include Russia's brutal war against Ukraine, terrorism and intense global competition, and outbreaks around the world - from the Middle East to Asia. Russia is joining forces with China, North Korea and Iran, investing in military capabilities and preparing for a long-term confrontation," the Alliance Secretary General said.
According to Rutte, in order to make NATO stronger, the allies must first increase their defense spending. In particular, Allies should invest more in defense.
"We need more resources, more forces and more capabilities to be ready to face any threat and to implement our collective defense plans in full," said the NATO Secretary General.
He noted that defense spending of 2% of GDP is not enough. Rutte noted that some of the allied countries set much more ambitious goals, approaching or even exceeding 5% of GDP for defense.
Also, according to Rutte, the allies need more defense production, which means further development of the defense industrial base across the Alliance.
"We intend to increase production, accelerate innovation and remove barriers to cooperation. The summit in The Hague will send a clear message about the order to industry. Industry must respond to our needs. Increasing defense production will not only be good for our security, it will also be good for our economy. I expect Allies to spend more and better, to spend together on critical capabilities for our armed forces," said the Alliance chief.
