NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte painted a grim picture of the world and called on Europe and Canada to ramp up their defense spending Thursday.
In a speech at a Carnegie Europe conference in Brussels, Rutte expressed deep concerns about the evolving security situation, particularly in relation to Russia and China. He highlighted Russia’s activities beyond Ukraine and China’s escalating assertiveness.
Describing the current security environment as dire, Rutte emphasized the proximity of potential threats. He illustrated this by pointing out how close Russian bombings, Iranian drones, and North Korean military engagements are to Ukraine, which is only a day’s drive away from Brussels.
Rutte went on to argue that Putin poses a wider threat to Europe beyond Ukraine, saying he “wants to crush our freedom and way of life.”
As Rutte shared these alarming observations, they coincided with the impending inauguration of President-elect Trump, who had run on a platform opposing wars. Despite Trump’s anti-war stance, he had also called on NATO members to fulfill their financial obligations to the organization’s defense fund.
President Biden ran on an anti-war platform, but has also encouraged more NATO members to boost defense spending. (Rebecca Noble/Getty Images)
Trump has also said he does not plan to abandon Ukraine. He said he will advocate for a peace agreement with Russia, but has not elaborated on what that would entail.
NATO members agreed to work toward spending 2% of their annual GDP on defense, following Russia’s annexation of Crimea a decade ago.
Only six member nations met the 2% goal in 2021, but this year, NATO expects a record 23 of 32 member nations to hit the Western military alliance’s spending goals, according to data released over the summer.
NATO’s chief says Putin plans to continue aggression beyond Ukraine if it falls. (Reuters/AP)
Since Russian President Vladimir Putin’s invasion of Ukraine in 2022, NATO leaders have emphasized that the 2% target should be considered a minimum.
Poland and Estonia both led the United States this year in the percentage of their GDP they spend on defense, according to NATO. The U.S. is estimated to spend 3.38% of its GDP on defense.
Rutte, who stepped into the NATO role on Oct. 1, was the Dutch prime minister during Trump’s first term and had a reputation as a “Trump whisperer,” Politico reported.
Fox News’ Hannah Ray Lambert contributed to this report.
