Overview
- NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte called for a 400% expansion of the alliance’s air and missile defenses to counter Russia’s campaign of terror from the sky in Ukraine.
- He warned that the Russian threat will persist even after the Ukraine war ends, underscoring the need for a credible deterrent.
- Rutte said NATO armies require thousands of additional armored vehicles, tanks and millions more artillery shells to bolster readiness.
- President Trump is demanding that European and Canadian allies dedicate at least 5% of their GDP to defense or risk weakened US security guarantees.
- Allies are set to formalize the 5% GDP defense spending target at the Hague summit on June 24-25.