NATO’s Chief Voices Optimism on GDP Defense Spending Boost

(MENAFN) NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte expressed confidence Wednesday that member countries will endorse a new defense spending goal set at 5% of GDP, aligning with U.S. calls for a stronger European financial role in collective defense.

Ahead of the NATO summit in The Hague, Rutte acknowledged the political difficulty many nations face in increasing military budgets, but emphasized that the escalating threat from Russia and global instability makes this commitment unavoidable.

He stressed the U.S. remains firmly dedicated to NATO and Article 5, while highlighting that Canada and European allies are poised to raise their defense expenditures to better match the United States’ level of investment.

"There is absolute clarity that the United States is totally committed to NATO, totally committed to Article Five. And yes, there is also an expectation, which will be fulfilled today, that the Canadians and the Europeans will speed up their spending, making sure that we are able to defend ourselves against the Russians and others," Rutte said.

When questioned about concerns voiced by Spain potentially blocking the summit’s agreement, Rutte dismissed the possibility.

He also responded to recent attention surrounding a private text message he sent, which was publicly disclosed by U.S. President Donald Trump. Rutte expressed no objection to the release and described the message as "a statement of fact."

Regarding the recent U.S. military strike on Iran’s nuclear sites, Rutte called the operation "crucial" in preventing Iran from developing nuclear weapons.

"The 14 huge bombs dropped on the nuclear facility of Iran; I think this was crucial to really do everything possible to take out the nuclear capability of Iranians, which NATO has always said Iran should not get its hands on."

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