NATO Chief Rutte worried about alliance's long-term security

BRUSSELS: The new NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte currently does not see any danger of a Russian attack on the defence alliance's territory but looks to the future with concern.

"No fear for now," he said in an interview with dpa when asked whether NATO countries should be afraid of Russia but added: "If we do not spend more and produce more, we have a serious problem in four or five years."

Russia massively expanded its defence production due to Moscow's war against Ukraine. According to Rutte, NATO allies are not yet doing enough to counter this.

"We have to ramp up defence production, the defence industrial base," he said. "They have to put in extra production lines, extra shifts, because we are not producing enough military stuff to protect ourselves longer term."

Rutte also expects pressure from US President-elect Donald Trump, who threatened to withdraw from NATO during his first term in office if allies did not spend 2 per cent of their gross domestic product (GDP) on defence.

"He will want us to do more. And he is right. We have to do more," said Rutte.

NATO allies are committed to invest at least 2 per cent of GDP in defence. And many European allies have now reached that goal, Rutte said.

In four to five years, however, there will be a problem with deterrence against Russia if defence spending is not increasing further, he said.

Rutte did not say whether NATO allies should aim to spend 3 per cent of GDP or even more.

A decision on new spending pledges is expected to be made at the alliance's summit next June.

During the US election campaign, Trump had announced that he considered it necessary to increase the NATO defence pledge to 3per cent. There have recently been reports that Trump could even call for 5 per cent.

Germany is expected to spend around 2.1 per cent of GDP on defence this year.

--BERNAMA-dpa

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