NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte urges member nations to invest more in defense, echoing a call from the United States. The discussions come as Ukraine remains a central focus, with concerns about the potential for a deal between the U.S. and Russia without European involvement.
NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte emphasized the pressing need for increased defense spending by member nations, echoing a message delivered by the United States the day prior. Rutte stated that the alliance needs to adopt a wartime mindset and urged industry to align with this shift, highlighting the growing demand signals for military resources.
Following a meeting of NATO defense ministers, Rutte expressed confidence that member states would return home with a renewed sense of urgency to bolster their defense budgets.Rutte's remarks came in the wake of U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth reiterating President Donald Trump's call for greater financial commitment from other NATO allies. Hegseth reaffirmed the United States' unwavering dedication to the alliance and its partnership with Europe, but underscored that the U.S. would no longer tolerate an imbalanced relationship that fostered dependency. He emphasized that the relationship would prioritize empowering Europe to assume responsibility for its own security.While 23 of NATO's 32 member countries met the organization's target of allocating 2% of their gross domestic product to national defense last year, a third still fall short. Ukraine remained a central topic during the meetings, with Rutte stressing the importance of continued support for the embattled nation. Trump's Wednesday phone call with Russian President Vladimir Putin raised concerns, as he suggested that Ukraine could not expect to regain all its lost territory nor join NATO. This prompted alarm from both Kyiv and European allies within NATO, who feared the White House might engage in a deal without their involvement. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy firmly stated that his country would not accept any agreements without being a party to the negotiations. He emphasized Putin's intent to conduct bilateral talks with the United States and stressed the need to prevent this from happening. Zelenskyy underscored the importance of ensuring successful peace talks and conveying a united message from the West, guaranteeing unwavering support for Ukraine's victory.U.K. Defence Secretary John Healey echoed the sentiment, stating that any negotiations concerning Ukraine must involve Ukraine's active participation and that its voice must be central to any discussions. Rutte assured that while NATO remained committed to Ukraine's future membership, this issue was not part of the ongoing peace negotiations. He emphasized the primary objective: preventing any future Russian aggression against Ukraine
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