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Nato chief calls for 400% increase in air and missile defences to counter Russian threat Russia could be ready to attack Nato within five years, says secretary general
(about 7 hours later)
Mark Rutte wants large rise in military spending as threat from Russia will remain ‘even when war in Ukraine ends’ In speech in London Mark Rutte says he expects alliance members to agree to raise military spending to 5% of GDP
Russia will remain an imminent threat to Nato even if there is peace in Ukraine and the western alliance has to increase its air and missiles defences by 400% as a result, the head of the organisation will say on Monday. Russia could be ready to attack Nato within five years and leaders of the western alliance are expected to agree to increase military spending to 5% of GDP later this month to contain the threat, the alliance’s secretary general has said.
Mark Rutte, who is visiting the UK and meeting the prime minister, Keir Starmer, is expected to outline why it is necessary for allies to agree a dramatic increase in military spending to 5% of GDP at a summit in The Hague later this month. Mark Rutte said in a speech in London on Monday that Nato needed “a quantum leap in our collective defence”, which would include significant rearmament to deter an increasingly militarised Russia.
At a speech at the Chatham House thinktank in London on Monday afternoon, the Nato secretary general will argue the alliance needs “a quantum leap in our collective defence”, including millions more artillery shells and thousands more tanks “to implement our defence plans in full”. That would include a fivefold increase in air defence, thousands more tanks and millions more artillery shells to boost stockpiles and ensure Nato countries match existing levels of Russian production.
Critically, Rutte is expected to say “the fact is, danger will not disappear even when the war in Ukraine ends”, reflecting a belief that the Kremlin will not demilitarise even it agrees to a ceasefire and eventually peace with Kyiv. Speaking at Chatham House after meeting the UK prime minister, Keir Starmer, Rutte said: “I expect allied leaders to agree to spend 5% of GDP on defence of which 3.5% of GDP will be core military spending, at a summit in The Hague later this month.”
The remarks provoked an immediate response from Moscow. Dmitry Peskov, the Kremlin’s spokesperson, said that Nato “is demonstrating itself as an instrument of aggression and confrontation” with the emerging plan. “Danger will not disappear even when the war in Ukraine ends,” Rutte emphasised, reflecting a belief that the Kremlin will not demilitarise even it agrees to a ceasefire and eventually to peace with Kyiv.
Western military planners believe that Russia will seek to retain an active and experienced army more than 600,000-strong and maintain elevated levels of defence spending of about 6.5% of the country’s GDP, so threatening Nato’s eastern flank. The remarks provoked an immediate response from Moscow. Dmitry Peskov, the Kremlin spokesperson, said that Nato “is demonstrating itself as an instrument of aggression and confrontation” with the emerging plan.
Rutte will first visit Sheffield Forgemasters, a nationalised steelmaker owned by the Ministry of Defence which makes complex components for nuclear submarines, before meeting Starmer and then giving his speech. Western military planners believe Russia will seek to retain an active and experienced army of more than 600,000 personnel as well as maintaining defence spending of about 6.5% of the country’s GDP, and be able to threaten Nato’s eastern flank in less than half a decade.
The secretary general, a former Dutch prime minister, has been pushing a proposal for Nato members to agree to lift core defence spending to 3.5% of GDP by about 2035, with a further 1.5% on cyber and other related military infrastructure. On his trip to the UK, Rutte visited Sheffield Forgemasters, a nationalised steelmaker owned by the Ministry of Defence that makes complex components for nuclear submarines, before meeting Starmer and then giving his speech.
Britain is expected to sign up to the plan, to be formally confirmed at the summit, as part of an effort to maintain the support of the US president, Donald Trump, who pressed for the new 5% target once he was elected president for a second term. The former Dutch prime minister has been pushing a proposal for Nato members to agree to lift core defence spending to 3.5% of GDP by about 2035, along with a further 1.5% on cyber and other related military infrastructure.
Justifying the need for extra spending, Rutte is expected to say that Nato needs “a 400% increase in air and missile defence” as part of a wider rearmament to maintain credible deterrence and defence. Britain is expected to sign up to the plan, to be formally confirmed at the summit, as part of an effort to maintain the support of the US president, Donald Trump, who has pressed for the 5% target.
“We see in Ukraine how Russia delivers terror from above, so we will strengthen the shield that protects our skies,” Rutte is expected to say, according to remarks trailed by Nato before the speech, due to begin at 3.45pm London time (1645 GMT). Rutte would not set a concrete date for achieving the target – demonstrating it was still a subject of negotiation among allies – though he initially proposed 2032. Other countries, including the UK, have indicated they expect to settle on 2035. “These discussions are ongoing,” Rutte said.
There will also have to be wider restocking of weapons, run down initially during the long period of post-cold war peace and second, because so much has been donated to Ukraine to help it fend off the full-scale Russian invasion over the past three years. Justifying the need for extra spending, Rutte said Nato needed “a 400% increase in air and missile defence” as part of a wider rearmament to maintain credible deterrence and defence. “We see in Ukraine how Russia delivers terror from above, so we will strengthen the shield that protects our skies,” Rutte said.
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“Our militaries also need thousands more armoured vehicles and tanks, millions more artillery shells, and we must double our enabling capabilities, such as logistics, supply, transportation, and medical support,” Rutte will add. There will also have to be wider restocking of weapons, run down initially during the long period of post-cold war peace and then because so much has been donated to Ukraine to help it fend off the full-scale Russian invasion over the past three years.
Britain has promised to increase defence spending from the current 2.33% of GDP to 2.5% by 2027 and to 3% in the early 2030s. But a week ago, Starmer acknowledged that discussions about Nato’s future military needs were also taking place. “Our militaries also need thousands more armoured vehicles and tanks, millions more artillery shells, and we must double our enabling capabilities, such as logistics, supply, transportation and medical support,” Rutte said.
“There are discussions about what the contribution should be going into the Nato conference in two or three weeks’ time,” the prime minister said as he unveiled the UK’s strategic defence review, as part of a wider conversation about “what sort of Nato will be capable of being as effective in the future”. Britain has promised to increase defence spending from the current 2.33% of GDP to 2.5% by 2027 and to 3% in the early 2030s. But a week ago, Starmer acknowledged that discussions about Nato’s future military needs were also taking place. “There are discussions about what the contribution should be going into the Nato conference in two or three weeks’ time,” the prime minister said as he unveiled the UK’s strategic defence review, part of a wider conversation about “what sort of Nato will be capable of being as effective in the future”.
Russia said the threat was being exaggerated and that ordinary citizens would have to bear the cost. “European taxpayers will spend their money to defuse some threat that they say comes from our country, but it is nothing but an ephemeral threat,” Peskov said.Russia said the threat was being exaggerated and that ordinary citizens would have to bear the cost. “European taxpayers will spend their money to defuse some threat that they say comes from our country, but it is nothing but an ephemeral threat,” Peskov said.
Rutte is expected to welcome the UK’s strategic defence review, which he will say will “enhance Nato’s collective defence”. The document said Britain faced “a new era of threat” and that in order to deter Russia the UK had to become, in the words of Starmer, “battle-ready”. Rutte was expected to welcome the UK’s strategic defence review. The document said Britain faced “a new era of threat” and that in order to deter Russia the UK had to become, in the words of Starmer, “battle-ready”.
Last week, one of the three members of the defence review team, the foreign policy expert Fiona Hill, said the UK needed to recognise that Russia considered itself at war with Britain and that the US under Trump was no longer a reliable ally. “We’re in pretty big trouble,” Hill said in an interview with the Guardian.Last week, one of the three members of the defence review team, the foreign policy expert Fiona Hill, said the UK needed to recognise that Russia considered itself at war with Britain and that the US under Trump was no longer a reliable ally. “We’re in pretty big trouble,” Hill said in an interview with the Guardian.