Overview
- In a Berlin address, Mark Rutte said NATO members are “Russia’s next target” and urged leaders to treat the threat with far greater urgency.
- He assessed that while NATO’s defenses can hold today, Russia could be ready to use military force against the alliance within five years.
- Rutte called for a rapid surge in defense spending and production and said recent long-term commitments, including a 5% of GDP goal by 2035, are not sufficient without near-term acceleration.
- He described China as Russia’s “lifeline,” asserting that about 80% of critical electronic components in Russian drones and other systems are Chinese-made.
- Rutte highlighted more than $4 billion in allied pledges for Ukraine via NATO’s PURL as Russian state television figures issued nuclear threats against the UK after a British paratrooper’s accidental death, even as Sergei Lavrov denied plans to attack NATO or the EU.