NATO Leader Urges Allies to Boost Defense as US Turns to Indo-Pacific

(MENAFN) NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte on Thursday pressed European members and Canada to raise defense expenditures and strengthen military production, underscoring that while the United States remains dedicated to the alliance, its strategic attention is increasingly directed toward the Indo-Pacific region.

Ahead of a high-level meeting, Rutte told reporters that talks would center on putting into action commitments made during the recent summit in The Hague. These include accelerating defense investment and reinforcing the alliance’s industrial capacity to maintain credible deterrence.

He reaffirmed NATO’s ongoing backing of Ukraine, highlighting a newly unveiled £500 million (approximately $630 million) air defense package from the United Kingdom. Rutte cautioned that despite Ukraine’s resilience on the battlefield, the country continues to face sustained missile assaults.

According to Rutte, recent growth in defense budgets among European and Canadian allies suggests that calls from Washington for greater burden-sharing are having an impact. He remarked that allies are “stepping up” by allocating billions of additional dollars toward military spending.

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