NATO Secretary General says plans to work on increasing defense spending

NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte promised to increase the alliance's defense spending after a phone call with Pentagon chief Pete Hegseth on January 29.

"We look forward to working with you to further increase defense spending and defense production to build a strong alliance," the secretary-general wrote on social network X (formerly Twitter).

On January 21, US President Donald Trump said he would push North Atlantic Treaty Organisation member states to increase defense spending to 5% of GDP and spend more than Washington to support Ukraine.

On January 16, the NATO secretary general urged the alliance countries to switch to a wartime way of thinking. According to him, this is necessary to prepare for upcoming dangers and prevent conflicts.

Before that, on January 13, Rutte also called on the alliance countries to step up support for Ukraine to change the trajectory of the conflict. Military supplies to Kiev need to be accelerated to ensure the country has a strong negotiating position, he noted.

The special operation to protect Donbass, which Russian President Vladimir Putin announced on February 24, 2022, continues. The decision was taken against the backdrop of the worsening situation in the region.