NATO defense ministers will meet in Brussels to prepare the ground for the summit in The Hague, as well as to make key decisions to strengthen deterrence and defense. An important issue will be continued support for Ukraine and the urgent need for peace. This was stated at a conference by NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte, reports UNN correspondent.
Details
The world is becoming increasingly dangerous. There is Russia's brutal war against Ukraine, the threat of terrorism and fierce global competition. We will continue to protect our people and our way of life. We must make NATO a stronger, fairer and more deadly alliance. At this meeting of ministers, we will take a huge step forward. We will strengthen our deterrence and defense forces by agreeing on ambitious new capability targets. These targets define what forces and specific capabilities allies must provide to strengthen our deterrence and defense forces.
According to him, the main priority for NATO now is air and missile defense, long-range weapons, logistics, and large ground maneuver formations.
We need more resources, forces and capabilities so that we are ready to face any threat and fully implement our collective defense plans. To achieve our new goals, it is clear that we will need significantly more defense spending.
According to him, European allies and Canada have stepped up their efforts.
I expect that most, if not all, allies will reach the initial goal of spending 2% of GDP on defense this year. Many have invested or plan to invest much more. But we must go further and faster.
He stressed that NATO will work to increase defense production.
Also during the meeting, defense ministers will discuss the issue of NATO's continued support for Ukraine and the need to end this terrible war.
Later today, allies, NATO partners and Ukraine will participate in a meeting of the Contact Group on Defense of Ukraine, co-hosted by Germany and the United Kingdom. It will focus on continued support for Ukraine as it fights Russian aggression. And we fully support President Trump's efforts to stop the bloodshed by establishing a just and lasting peace.
He noted that NATO's long-term support for Ukraine is not about prolonging the war. It is about ensuring that Ukraine can defend itself now and prevent any future aggression. Allies will also meet tomorrow in the NATO-Ukraine Council with Minister Umerov and EU High Representative Kallas. Minister Umerov will provide an update on the battlefield situation and offer Ukraine's assessment on the search for peace.
Finally, nuclear deterrence is the cornerstone of the alliance's security. And tomorrow, this ministerial meeting will conclude with another meeting of the Nuclear Planning Group.
The fundamental goal of NATO's nuclear capability is to preserve peace, prevent coercion and deter aggression.
Let's remind
The NATO Secretary General stated that peace is impossible without Ukraine's lasting security. Support for Ukraine to win the war will be discussed at the summit in Vilnius.
Earlier, UNN wrote that NATO defense ministers will meet at NATO Headquarters in Brussels on June 5, 2025.