The front in Ukraine is moving "in the wrong direction," and Kyiv's allies must ensure that Russia does not achieve its goals. This was stated by NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte in an interview with Bild.
Our task is to make sure they never achieve their objectives. So no: Ukraine will not lose. We must support them in taking a position of strength.
Rutte believes that if a peace agreement is reached, it must be "sustainable." The alliance's Secretary General urged Europe, including Germany, to spend more on defense and to produce more weapons.
They (Germany - ed.) are number one in Europe [in terms of assistance]. But given the size of the German economy, we obviously want them to do much more.
I am convinced that for Germany, with its fantastic defense companies and innovative strength, this means they need to increase production. Germany must boost defense spending; it is essential.
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Rutte agreed with Donald Trump, who came to power in the U.S., insisting that NATO allies should increase their military expenditures to 5% of GDP.
Trump was generally right with this demand during his last term in office. And thanks to this push, we have invested more. Since 2014, European allies and Canada have spent over $640 billion on defense.
More than two-thirds of NATO partners are now spending on armaments over 2%, thanks to Trump, by the way. But we will need to invest even more, and in the coming months, allies will decide how we will do this.
But I can assure you of one thing: it will be much more than 2%.
If EU countries do not increase defense spending, "in four to five years," they will have to "take Russian language courses or move to New Zealand," Rutte stated in January. He also called for a "shift in thinking to a wartime mentality."
As reported by "Podrobnosti," NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte warned Trump that a potentially unfavorable agreement for Western countries regarding Ukraine could pose a "serious threat" to Washington. According to Rutte, a deal potentially beneficial to the Kremlin regime could further align it with Beijing, Pyongyang, and Tehran.