Rutte agrees with Trump: Allocate more than three percent of GDP for defense

(Patria) - NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte stated yesterday that he agrees with US President Donald Trump that the US and its European allies should share the burden of military aid to Ukraine equally.

Trump is asking Europe to invest more in defense, up to five percent of GDP, although no NATO member, including the US, is anywhere near that, and to take greater responsibility in helping Kyiv against the nearly three-year-long Russian invasion.

Last year, allies agreed to provide Ukraine with 40 billion euros in military aid, but ended up with 50 billion, more than half of which came from European countries and Canada. The rest came from the US.

- This sends a clear message of our unwavering commitment to Ukraine. It is also a big step forward towards what President Trump is asking for.

I agree with him that we must equalize security assistance to Ukraine - Rutte told reporters in Brussels ahead of a meeting on continued aid to Kyiv.

NATO recently announced that Europe and Canada invested 485 million euros in defense in 2024, 20 percent more than in the previous year.

Numerous European countries have increased their defense budgets in recent years, spurred by Russia's invasion of Ukraine and fears that the US might reduce its commitment to the defense of the continent under Trump, a strong critic of NATO.

Rutte added at a press conference on the eve of the meeting of NATO member states' defense ministers that NATO members must increase defense spending and spending on the defense industry, given the speed at which Russia is increasing its production of weapons and equipment, and given what China is doing to strengthen its military capabilities.

- If Russia attacked NATO at this moment, the reaction would be devastating and it would lose, but allies must increase defense spending to be stronger in the future.

We are safe now, our defense and deterrence are strong, but we will not be in 4-5 years if we do not make some difficult decisions this year. We must allocate significantly more than two percent of GDP and produce more.

The problem is not only in the European part of NATO, but also on the American side, because from California to Ankara, we do not produce enough weapons and equipment - said Rutte.

He reiterated that he expects allies to set a new target of allocating above three percent of GDP at the summit in The Hague this summer, but that he does not want to commit to any specific figures as it is too early for details.