NATO Chief Warns of Russian Military Surge
He stressed that Russia is “reconstituting itself at a pace and a speed which is unparalleled in recent history,” describing the developments as a critical moment for the alliance.
Rutte highlighted that Moscow is “producing three times as much ammunition in three months as the whole of NATO is doing in a year,” indicating a major imbalance in production capabilities.
This revelation has added urgency to calls for NATO countries to increase their defense investments to match the growing threat.
He cited a proposal to raise NATO defense expenditure to 5 percent of GDP, an idea strongly supported by US President Donald Trump.
Under this plan, 3.5 percent would be allocated to core military budgets, while an additional 1.5 percent would be designated for efforts like cyber defense and upgrading civilian infrastructure.
Rutte admitted the costs are high but defended the necessity by stating, “Yes, this is an enormous amount of spending. But if we don’t, we’ll have to learn Russian.”
When asked whether these steps risk provoking an arms race with Russia, Rutte argued that deterrence is essential.
He pointed to Russia’s massive investments in tanks, artillery, air defense systems, and ammunition, and emphasized that NATO must ensure it maintains a credible military posture to counter the growing challenge.
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