Borys Pistorius on a tank during a military exercise, 16 September 2024. Photo: Joeran Steinsiek
NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte has called on Germany to increase defence spending and boost weapons production, in a statement published in the German newspaper Bild on Sunday. Rutte stressed that given the size of Germany’s economy, it should play a greater role in the Alliance’s collective security.
“Germany has taken many right steps since the beginning of the war in Ukraine,” Rutte said, praising the critical military support provided to Kyiv and the recent establishment of a Bundeswehr base in Lithuania to protect the Baltic states from Russian aggression. However, he stressed that given the size of Germany’s economy, the country should do more to ensure European security.
“We have to prepare for war. This is the best way to avoid war,” Rutte added, explaining that both Russia and China are significantly increasing their military capabilities. Therefore, in his opinion, NATO and all its member states, including the United States, must step up their defence efforts.
Regarding NATO’s spending targets, Rutte said they will go well beyond the 2% of gross domestic product (GDP) target set earlier. “I can assure you that it will be much more than 2%,” he added, noting that negotiations on the new spending targets will continue at the next NATO summit in June.
At the moment, Germany has increased its defence spending to just over 2%, but in the context of the security crisis in Ukraine and challenges from other world powers, it is expected to increase significantly.
Rutte also noted that US President Donald Trump has called on NATO countries to spend 5% of their GDP on defence, an ambitious goal that even the United States is currently failing to achieve.
