NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte has urged alliance members to increase their defence spending.
Rutte made the call at a summit in Vilnius, Lithuania, that brought together Nordic countries and members of the Bucharest Nine group of central and eastern European nations. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky also attended the summit.
Lithuanian President Gitanas Nauseda warned the allies about Russia’s intentions to quickly restore its military capabilities. “We have little time to do the same,” he stressed.
Nauseda echoed calls, including from US President Donald Trump, for each NATO member to increase the percentage of GDP spent on defence. Nauseda is aiming for a 5% of GDP investment in defence by 2035 or 2040, a target some countries, like Belgium, consider unrealistic.
Rutte proposed a more flexible compromise of 3.5% of GDP for defence and 1.5% for military infrastructure. Member States still need to reach an agreement on this proposal.
The Vilnius summit is a precursor to the upcoming June summit in The Hague, which is to be attended by all 32 NATO member countries.
