NATO Must Go Further, Faster to Increase Defense Spending: Secretary-General

NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte said on June 4 that the military alliance needs to go further and faster in its efforts to increase defense spending.

Speaking at a news conference in Brussels ahead of a meeting of defense ministers from member states, Rutte outlined the challenges facing the alliance both now and in the years ahead.

Rutte, who was the Dutch prime minister before he replaced Norwegian Jens Stoltenberg as head of the organization in 2024, focused on the need for member nations to increase their military spending in the face of alleged threats posed by Russia, China, and Iran.

“It’s clear that we will need significantly higher defense spending. That underpins everything. European allies and Canada have been stepping up, and I expect that most, if not all, allies will reach the initial aim of spending 2 percent of GDP on defense this year,” Rutte told reporters. “Many have invested or have plans to invest much, much more. But we have to go further, and we have to go faster.”

He said that during the meeting in the Belgian capital, defense ministers would discuss increased spending on infrastructure, resilience, and production.

On Ukraine, Rutte said that NATO’s continued support for Kyiv would be discussed, as well as the need to bring an end to the war that continues to rage well into its third year.

“Later today, NATO allies, partners, and Ukraine will take part in a meeting of the Ukraine Defense Contact Group (UDCG) chaired by Germany and the United Kingdom,” Rutte said.

“This will focus on continued support for Ukraine as it fights back against Russian aggression, and we fully support President Trump’s efforts to stop the bloodshed with a just and lasting peace. NATO’s long-term support to Ukraine is not about prolonging the war, it is about ensuring Ukraine can defend itself now and prevent any future aggression.”

U.S. Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth will not attend the UDCG meeting but will arrive at the defense ministers’ meeting on June 5, Rutte confirmed.

It is the first time in three years that a U.S. defense secretary has missed a UDCG meeting.

When asked by reporters if this indicated a lack of support for Ukraine on Washington’s part, Rutte said: “This [is] Pete Hegseth’s second visit to Brussels since he became defense secretary. … He will be here for the second time this year, participating in the meeting tomorrow. The U.S. will be present today in the UDCG. The U.S. is completely committed to NATO, completely committed to our joint endeavors. When it comes to Ukraine, there’s no reason to doubt that.”