Secretary General Mark Rutte said, “Moscow is preparing for a long-term conflict with Ukraine and us,” describing the current situation as the worst he has seen in his entire life. In his first speech since becoming NATO Secretary General in October, Rutte said, “We are not ready for what we will encounter in four or five years,” and called on member countries to “turbo-accelerate” their defense spending.
“DANGER IS APPROACHING US”
Rutte’s statements come weeks before the inauguration of US President-elect Donald Trump, who has previously said his country would not protect NATO countries that do not spend enough on defense.
NATO countries had pledged to spend 2% of their Gross Domestic Product (GDP) on defense by 2024.
But speaking at an event in Brussels, the former Dutch Prime Minister said “much more will be required as danger moves towards us”.
“IF WE DO NOT SPEND TO PREVENT WAR, WE WILL PAY A MUCH HIGHER PRICE”
Rutte emphasized that during the Cold War, European NATO countries spent more than 3% of their GDP on defense.
“If we don’t spend more now to prevent war, we will pay a much, much higher price for fighting this war later,” Rutte said.
Rutte emphasized that the Russian economy was making “war expenditures” and that Moscow would spend a third of its budget on defense next year.
Russia has significantly increased its defense budget since launching its all-out invasion of Ukraine, with a record increase approved for next year.
While the defense expenditures of NATO members in Europe and Canada are around 2% on average, not all member countries can reach the target.
Trump said in February that he would “encourage” Russia to attack NATO members who do not pay their bills.
“TRUMP WAS ABSOLUTELY RIGHT”
Speaking to the BBC after the event, Rutte said: “Donald Trump was absolutely right in pushing us to spend more in his first term, and he was successful. We are spending significantly more than before he became president. In a sense, he was absolutely right.”
That’s why some NATO member countries call Rutte “the man who whispered Trump” and say that he played an important role in his election as NATO Secretary General.
Source: BBC Turkish