NATO Secretary General Rutte: Greater Investment in Security Is Essential
NATO Secretary General Rutte: Greater Investment in Security Is Essential
As the countdown to the NATO Summit on June 24–25 continues, NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte has once again stressed the need for member states to increase defense spending and boost military production.
Speaking at a press conference following the "Weimar+" meeting held in Rome — attended by the foreign ministers of Italy, France, Germany, Poland, the United Kingdom, and Spain, along with representatives from NATO and the European Union — Rutte emphasized the urgent need to bolster defense budgets.
“We are safe now, but we will not be in 3 to 5 years,” Rutte warned. “That is why we need to spend more.”
Recalling that NATO defense ministers had agreed last week on new capability targets, Rutte noted: “The new spending goal is based on facts, on our joint analysis of where the gaps in our capabilities are and how we can close them. Now, at the upcoming NATO Summit, our leaders must reach an agreement on the additional funding needed to make this happen.”
The Secretary General also underscored the urgency of increasing defense industry production.
“We have excellent industrial companies across the United States, Europe, and Canada — but they are not producing fast enough. We need more shifts, more production lines,” he stated.
Reiterating the importance of long-term support for Ukraine, Rutte stressed that Ukraine must be kept in a strong position throughout the war, and that guarantees must be put in place to prevent future aggression by Russia once peace is achieved.
Messages from the EU
EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Kaja Kallas emphasized that Russia has shown “no sign of stopping the war.”
Kallas pointed out that Russia has carried out “its largest assaults on Ukraine since the beginning of the war,” adding that Russia remains “dangerous” and its behavior “predictable.”
“This means Russia responds not to empty slogans or dialogue, but only to strength,” Kallas said, explaining the rationale behind the EU’s proposal for an 18th package of sanctions against Moscow.
She stressed the need to further block financial flows to Russia, asserting that “the war will only stop if there is sufficient pressure.”
Noting that the EU provided its highest level of military assistance to Ukraine in 2025, Kallas concluded: “The stronger Ukraine is on the battlefield today, the stronger its position will be at any future negotiating table when Russia is truly ready to talk.”