Germany has to spend more on defence, NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte said in Berlin on Monday, despite the country reaching the alliance target for the first time in years.
“All NATO allies must invest more, and I trust that Germany will continue to step up,” he said alongside German Chancellor Olaf Scholz.
German spending on defence in 2024 is on track to reach the NATO target of 2% of gross domestic product (GDP) for the first time in 30 years.
This investment increase, announced by Scholz as a “turning point,” came after the full-scale Russian invasion of Ukraine in 2022, and will see Germany spend €100 billion over several years.
Rutte praised the fund as making “a big difference” to NATO security but pushed the German government to go further on defence investment and its support for Ukraine.
“As a former prime minister, I know that it is not always easy for governments to allocate funds for national defence and for aid to Ukraine, but both are crucial for our collective security,” the Dutchman said.
The NATO chief also warned that Russian President Vladimir Putin would not stop if he won in Ukraine.
Russia is carrying out “an intensifying campaign” of hybrid attacks across NATO through violence, sabotage, and interference in the alliance’s democracies, Rutte said.
“This shows that the shifting front in this war is no longer solely within Ukraine,” he added, noting Russian activity in Western Europe, in the Baltics and the Arctic.
