NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte will hold a meeting in Brussels next week with the heads of Europe's largest defense companies to urge them to increase investment and ramp up weapons production. This was reported by the Financial Times, according to UNN.
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According to the publication, the Alliance seeks to strengthen Europe's military capabilities and demonstrate to US President Donald Trump the allies' readiness to increase defense spending.
Ahead of the meeting, companies were asked to provide information on major investment projects and opportunities for rapid production scaling, particularly in the areas of air defense and long-range missiles.
The report notes that representatives from Rheinmetall, Safran, Airbus, Saab, MBDA, and Leonardo are expected to participate in the meeting.
The FT writes that NATO wants European arms manufacturers to begin investing more actively without waiting for new large-scale government contracts.
One of the key topics will be Europe's dependence on the US regarding long-range missiles, air defense systems, and reconnaissance capabilities. In particular, Germany is attempting to purchase American Tomahawk cruise missiles after the Pentagon withdrew plans to station its own weaponry in Europe.
The publication also notes that NATO aims to present concrete results of increased defense spending by the Alliance summit in Ankara in July.
According to NATO estimates, if European allies meet the target of spending 5% of GDP on defense, it would mean an additional $1 trillion in defense spending annually by 2035 compared to 2024.
The Ukraine–NATO Council will meet for an informal dinner on May 21 in Sweden15.05.26, 19:38