Rutte says NATO enters 'implementation phase' ahead of Ankara summit

NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte said on Thursday that the alliance is entering what he described as an “implementation phase” ahead of next month’s summit in Ankara, pointing to increased defense spending, expanded military production, and ongoing support for Ukraine, News.Az reports, citing Anadolu.

Speaking during a meeting of NATO defense ministers in Brussels, Rutte said, “This is the last big meeting that we will have before the Ankara summit, and the Ankara summit will be all about implementation.”

He described the gathering as the final major ministerial-level meeting before the summit in Ankara.

“What we are seeing is that NATO 3.0 is really happening,” Rutte said, characterizing it as “a stronger Europe in a stronger NATO.”

Rutte noted that allied countries are significantly increasing military spending. He said Europe and Canada are expected to spend more than $90 billion extra on defense in 2025 compared with the previous year, which represents an increase of nearly 20%.

According to him, this increase is part of broader efforts to meet NATO capability targets and move closer to the alliance’s agreed defense spending benchmarks.

He also emphasized the importance of expanding defense production on both sides of the Atlantic.

“We need to produce more, both in the US and in Europe, to keep ourselves safe,” he said.

Rutte welcomed initiatives by the United States and European allies to strengthen their defense industrial bases, arguing that NATO must keep pace with global competitors.

“China, Russia and others are at this moment ramping up their defense industrial output,” he added.

News.Az 

By Nijat Babayev