NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte stated in The Hague, Netherlands on Wednesday that he has “no doubt” about the United States’ commitment to NATO’s collective defense. However, he also emphasized that in the face of escalating threats from China, Russia, North Korea, Iran, and others, European countries have “no choice” but to significantly increase defense spending.
Rutte, prior to meeting with leaders of various countries, told reporters, “Considering the long-term threat posed by Russia, along with the massive expansion of the Chinese military, and the support from North Korea, China, and Iran for Russia’s war actions in Ukraine, increasing spending is crucial. Therefore, this will be the top priority on today’s agenda.”
“I and my colleagues firmly believe that we have no choice but to address the threats from Russia and the international security situation,” he said.
To respond to the rapidly changing security situation, NATO is expected to support a new goal at this summit: to raise member countries’ military spending to 5% of their GDP.
According to the plan, 3.5% will be allocated to conventional military equipment (such as personnel and weapons), while the remaining 1.5% will be invested in cyber defense, infrastructure, and energy pipeline security, among other indirect military expenditures, meaning countries will annually invest billions of dollars more in defense.
Ahead of the summit, U.S. President Trump publicly shared a screenshot of a private message from Rutte on the social platform Truth Social, praising Trump for urging Europe to take on more responsibility in defense matters.
In the message, Rutte wrote, “Donald, you have brought us to a crucial moment that is extremely important for the United States, Europe, and the world. You have achieved what no U.S. president has been able to do in decades.”
He added, “Europe will significantly increase defense spending, which they should, and this will also be your victory.”
When asked if Trump should not have made the message public, Rutte responded, “I think it’s completely fine because it’s a statement of fact.”
His remarks are seen as an important step towards Europe reconciling with Trump on their differences.
This marks Trump’s first participation in a NATO summit since returning to the White House, with one of his main goals being to urge allies to make historic military spending commitments.
Nearly all NATO members support the new defense goal, with Spain being the only member indicating it does not need to meet the threshold. Madrid believes its military spending required to fulfill NATO commitments is far below the threshold.
While Rutte disagreed with Spain’s stance, he ultimately reached a “diplomatic fudge” with Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez to allow the U.S. to achieve results diplomatically and ensure the summit does not fall apart.
The core focus of this summit is no longer aiding Ukraine but rather strengthening collective deterrence and defense capabilities amidst escalating cross-regional conflicts. It is evident that NATO has shifted its strategic focus from the Russia-Ukraine conflict to broader geopolitical challenges.
Ukrainian President Zelenskyy was only invited to the informal dinner on Tuesday night at this summit and did not attend the formal leaders’ meeting on Wednesday. Trump stated that he might meet Zelenskyy separately.
Dutch Prime Minister Dick Schoof emphasized during his meeting with Zelenskyy that “Ukraine is a member of our European-Atlantic family,” but both sides did not mention NATO in their statements.
Zelenskyy urged NATO to invest in Ukraine’s defense industry and stressed, “We must stop Putin now and stop him within Ukraine. We must also understand that his goals are not limited to Ukraine.”
However, in the main discussions and statements, the focus of NATO countries has clearly shifted to the multiple threats posed by China, Russia, and Iran.
Rutte emphasized earlier that NATO has the capability to address both the situation in the Middle East and the war in Ukraine simultaneously. He stated that if they cannot address both issues at once, “we shouldn’t be involved in political and military work at all.”