NATO warns defense spending needs drastic boost to counter Russian threat

NATO foreign ministers gathered in Antalya, Turkey, this Thursday to discuss a U.S. proposal aimed at significantly boosting defense spending.

Mark Rutte, the newly appointed Secretary General of the military alliance, emphasized the need to counter the growing threats posed by Russia and China.

“When it comes to core defense spending, we need to do much, much more,” Rutte said, warning that Russia could rebuild its military within the next three to five years.

The meeting comes just one month ahead of a major NATO summit set to take place in the Netherlands on June 24–25, where President Donald Trump is expected to renew his call for allies to dramatically increase their defense budgets. Trump has also warned that the United States will not come to the defense of member states if they do not meet their spending commitments.

U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio urged NATO members to dedicate 5% of their GDP to defense by 2035.

The talks coincided with news that Russian President Vladimir Putin will not be attending negotiations in Turkey with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy aimed at ending the war in Ukraine.

(QG - Source: Newsweek — Picture : © Unsplash)