NATO Chief Mark Latte will tell members that a “quantum leap” in collective safety is needed as he will meet London’s UK leader Kiel Starmer on Monday.
The Secretary-General of the Military Alliance is expected to call on member states to promptly boost defense spending, particularly in response to the rising global threat from Russia.
According to an excerpt from Rutte’s speech released by NATO, “a 400% increase in air and missile defense” and thousands of armored vehicles and shells are needed to maintain deterrence and defense.
“In Ukraine, we will strengthen our shields that protect the sky as we see how Russia conveys fear from above,” Latte plans to.
Latte meets Tapered Downing Street ahead of the Netherlands NATO Summit, where 32 members of the Alliance are expected to commit to massive hikes of military spending.
Alliance leaders have proposed a 3.5% target of the country’s GDP on military spending and an additional 1.5% target for “defensive spending” such as bridges, airfields, seaports and roads.
The new target proposed by Rutte will provide the long-standing demands made by US President Donald Trump, who repeatedly criticized the alliance’s 2% target for inadequate.
NATO’s current target, agreed at the 2014 summit, is 2% of GDP. Currently, 22 of the 32 member countries meet or exceed current targets. Poland alone exceeds the 3.5% target, 4.32%. The alliance’s largest US defense budget is equivalent to 3.4% of GDP.
Most NATO members have recently signaled plans to strengthen their defense capabilities and strengthen their plans to step up pressure from President Donald Trump on European allies in response to Russia’s continued invasion of Ukraine.
In the UK, priorities hiked the country’s defensive spending to 2.5% of GDP, and promised to raise another 3% by 2034.
Last week, the UK government announced plans to build 12 new attack submarines and six ammunition factories, marking the widest overhaul of British defense for more than 30 years.
Germany has also pledged a significant increase in military spending in 2025.
The parliament recently approved a constitutional amendment that exempts defense spending from countries’ debt troops that exceed 1% of GDP.
