NATO chief calls for 400% boost in air defense

NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte called on June 9 for a 400 percent increase in air and missile defenses to protect the North Atlantic alliance from Russian threats.

"In Ukraine we are seeing how Russia uses terror from the air, so we will strengthen the shield that protects our skies," Rutte said during a speech at the Chatham House institute in London, according to a statement published by AFP.

"NATO needs a 400 percent increase in air and missile defense capabilities to maintain credible deterrence and protection," he added.

"The fact is that we need a major increase in our collective defense," he stressed.

Rutte will meet with UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer on Monday, for the second time in Downing Street since the Labour leader came to power in July 2024.

Rutte's comments come ahead of the NATO summit to be held this month in the Netherlands.

But Moscow immediately condemned his statements, describing NATO as an "instrument of aggression."

"NATO is emerging as an instrument of aggression and confrontation," Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters in Moscow.

US President Donald Trump is pressuring NATO member countries to significantly increase their military budgets. He is demanding that defense spending reach five percent of gross domestic product (GDP), up from the current target of two percent.

US Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth stated last week in Brussels that allies are close to reaching an agreement on the new five percent target, which is expected to be formalized at the Hague summit.

“We believe that within a few weeks this alliance will commit to five percent, of which 3.5 percent will go to heavy weapons and 1.5 percent to infrastructure and defense activities,” Hegseth said Thursday. “This is a real commitment and we believe that every country can increase its contribution.”

NATO member countries have been working to increase their defense capabilities since the start of Russia's war against Ukraine in February 2022.

"The danger will not disappear even when the war in Ukraine ends," Rutte stressed on June 9.

"We need more troops and capabilities to fully implement our defense plans. Our armies also need thousands of armored vehicles and tanks, as well as millions of artillery shells," he stressed.

Britain last week announced plans to build up to 12 nuclear submarines and six factories to produce ammunition and missiles, in response to what it sees as a threat from Russia.

Earlier this year, Starmer's government promised to increase defense spending to 2.5 percent of GDP by 2027, but has yet to set a clear deadline for further increases.

"NATO must become a stronger, fairer and more lethal alliance," Rutte concluded./ REL

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