NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte said today in The Hague that the 32 members will make "bold decisions" at this week's alliance summit, including adopting a new investment plan that will increase defense spending to five percent of gross domestic product (GDP).
At a press conference the day before the start of the NATO summit, Rutte said that all members of the alliance would meet the goal of allocating two percent of GDP to defense this year, although at the beginning of 2025, "seven or eight allies" had not reached that level.
"So, we have made key progress in the last five, six months. The new defense investment plan, which the allies will agree on at the summit in The Hague, introduces a new basis: we will invest five percent of GDP in defense. It is a quantum leap that is ambitious, historic and fundamental for securing our future," said Rute.
He stated that Spain, which opposed raising defense spending to five percent of GDP, was not exempt from that obligation.
"NATO does not have an opt-out clause," Rutte said regarding Spain's position on the obligation to allocate five percent of GDP, which is insisted on by US President Donald Trump.
European NATO members contribute only 30 percent of the alliance's total defense spending. Some European countries, such as Poland, Estonia, and Lithuania, have already increased defense spending to five percent of GDP, while Spain is at the bottom, with less than two percent.
Rutte also said that the summit in The Hague will be held "at a truly historic moment, with significant and growing security challenges" for NATO.
"As the world becomes more dangerous, the leaders of allied countries will make bold decisions to strengthen our collective defense, which will make NATO a stronger, fairer and more lethal alliance," Rutte said.
Rute said that the security situation in the world has "changed dramatically" in the last few years, since the Russian occupation of Crimea in 2014, and especially since 2022 when Russia began a full-scale invasion of Ukraine.
He added that alliance members must therefore reach a significantly higher level of defense spending than the current level, so that they are all able to defend their territory in the event of an attack.
"At the same time, Russia is working together with North Korea, China, Iran. China is also rapidly strengthening its armed forces to levels never seen before. The security situation has changed dramatically and that is why this summit is important - allies must be capable of defense. If that moment comes, we need to stand together, united, not only in spirit, but also in practice," Rutte said when asked whether the citizens of the Western Balkans have reason to worry.
Rutte also said that "five out of eight Western Balkan countries are in NATO," that there is a KFOR mission in Kosovo, and that the alliance in Bosnia and Herzegovina cooperates closely with the EUFOR mission.
"I am in permanent dialogue with the President of Serbia (Aleksandar Vučić), we have known each other for a long time, we are close friends, but we do not always agree. And it is important that we continue that conversation," said Rute.
The NATO Secretary General also said that Russia remains the "biggest and most direct threat" facing the alliance.
"Moscow continues its war against Ukraine with the support of North Korea, Iran, China and Belarus. We must continue to provide Ukraine with what it needs to defend itself and repel future attacks. Our support for Ukraine is unwavering and we will not give up on it," said Rute.
He stated that instead of the announced 20 billion euros, the allies will provide more than 35 billion euros in additional security assistance for Ukraine for the next year.
Rute also said that Iran "must not develop nuclear weapons."
"When it comes to NATO's position on the Iranian nuclear program, allies have long agreed that Iran must not develop nuclear weapons. My greatest fear is that Iran possesses and could use and deploy nuclear weapons to consolidate control over Israel, the entire region and other parts of the world," Rute said.
He rejected allegations that the US bombing of Iranian nuclear facilities on June 22nd was contrary to international law.
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