Even after war ends, Russia remains a threat — Rutte pushes for NATO reinforcement

Bloomberg reported the information.

Rutte made the statement during a speech at Chatham House in London on Monday, June 9.

“Danger will not disappear even when the war in Ukraine ends,” Rutte stressed. “We must have more forces and capabilities to implement our defense plans in full.”

According to him, NATO members need a 400 percent increase in air and missile defense.

“We see in Ukraine how Russia delivers terror from above, so we will strengthen the shield that protects our skies,” he added.

Rutte wants NATO member states to support a new military spending target of 3.5% of national GDP by 2032 at a meeting later this month. In addition, he proposes to allocate 1.5% of GDP to security-related projects such as cybersecurity and border control. This initiative is a response to U.S. President Donald Trump's previous demand to allocate 5% of GDP to defense.

• NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte confirmed on June 5 that the Alliance will provide Ukraine with an additional €20 billion in security assistance.