NATO secretary general urges EU countries to increase defense spending or learn Russian

EU countries will have to learn Russian if they do not increase defense spending to the current 2% of GDP, NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte stated, as reported by Reuters.

“If we do not do this, in four or five years, we will have to take Russian language courses or move to New Zealand,” Rutte said in a speech at the European Parliament in Brussels.

He urged the EU not to hinder companies from countries that are members of the North Atlantic Alliance but are not part of the Paneuropean Union, encouraging investment in the development of the defense industry. Such restrictions only increase costs, complicate production, and hinder innovation, Rutte noted. He also pointed out that NATO’s military capability targets may require member countries to spend 3.7% of GDP on defense, although this figure could be reduced through innovation and joint procurement.