It is necessary to increase defense spending and arms production to ensure strong collective security of the Alliance in order to counter any threat. This was emphasized today by NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte in a speech to the NATO Parliamentary Assembly, reports UNN correspondent.
Delaying is dangerous. To make NATO stronger, we must increase defense spending. This is the basis of everything
He stressed that allies will have to invest much more to achieve the new capability targets that NATO defense ministers will agree on in Brussels next week.
We need more resources, forces and capabilities so that we are ready to counter any threat and fully implement our collective defense plans
Most allies are expected to reach the initial goal of spending 2% of GDP on defense this year. However, according to the Secretary General, this is already "not enough." In 2025, he said, defense spending by all allies should increase significantly.
He also stressed that this plan provides for more money for basic military needs, tough defense and defense investments. The Secretary General called on parliamentarians to support this initiative:
As parliamentarians, I need your help to communicate to the public the need to increase defense spending and encourage your governments to honor their commitments. And I know that debates about increasing defense investment will be difficult in some parliaments. And each of you will play an important role in securing support for budget approval
Rutte stressed that "in addition to increasing defense spending, we need more defense production," and also that "increasing defense production is not only good for our security. It is also good for our economy."
At the summer summit in The Hague, the Alliance, according to Rutte, will send "a clear signal to industry about demand" and expects allies to "spend more together and more efficiently on critical capabilities for our armed forces."
Earlier, UNN wrote that the NATO summit, which will be held in The Hague in June, will be held with a reduced program - two days instead of three. This year's text of the final declaration may not contain any direct mention of Russia and possibly even Ukraine, which makes the Hague meeting very different from recent summits, and it is still unknown whether Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy will be invited.