NATO Secretary General compared the increase in EU military spending with the times of the Cold War

European countries have increased their military spending so much that these financial investments are already comparable to the times of the Cold War. This was stated on April 4 by NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte in an interview with CBS.

"The number of incoming billions is staggering. When you look at the overall increase in military spending in Europe at the moment, you have to compare it with the times of the Cold War," Rutte said.

Nevertheless, the Secretary General of the alliance pointed out that NATO countries should increase investments in their defense, otherwise they will not be able to feel safe.

"We must continue to do this, because, as I said back in December, if we stick to the old 2%, we will not be able to protect ourselves here in three to five years," he added.

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On April 4, Rutte also noted that the allies had heard a clear message from US Secretary of State Marco Rubio about Washington's commitment to the North Atlantic Alliance. He added that Europe and Canada should take on more responsibility for common defense and increase defense spending. Rutte added that all the countries of the bloc have declared their intention to manufacture more weapons and increase the pace of military production.

Earlier, on March 18, the head of the European Commission (EC) Ursula von der Leyen said that Europe should have strong defense by 2030, which requires rearmament and the development of capabilities for reliable deterrence. Also during the plenary session on March 11, von der Leyen stated that the EU defense industry is lagging far behind the Russian one, therefore it is necessary to accelerate militarization. She stressed that EU countries should spend more than 3% of GDP on defense spending.