Rutte urges Europe to boost defense spending and trust us commitment

Friday 27 February 2026 - 08:20

By: Dakir Madiha

Rutte urges Europe to boost defense spending and trust us commitment

NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte has called on European allies to put less energy into questioning Washington’s reliability and more into meeting their own defense spending pledges, arguing that a stronger European contribution will help lock in the United States’ role in the alliance. Speaking alongside Lithuanian Prime Minister Inga Ruginienė at NATO headquarters in Brussels, he said allies should focus on delivering the investment targets agreed at last year’s summit in The Hague rather than speculating about future shifts in US policy. Rutte insisted that the US remains fully committed to NATO’s collective defense clause, and said that Europe’s growing military outlays are already starting to “equalize” the transatlantic burden-sharing gap that long frustrated Washington.

Rutte praised Lithuania as an example for other allies, noting that Vilnius has approved a 2026 budget that will channel roughly 5.38% of gross domestic product into core defense, putting it well above the spending path set out in the Hague Defence Investment Plan. He underlined that Lithuania is also among Ukraine’s most generous backers when measured against economic size, ranking as the third-largest provider of military and financial support worldwide as a share of GDP. Ruginienė, whose family history is tied to both Ukraine and Soviet-era repression, used the appearance to urge partners not to let fatigue or political disputes slow aid to Kyiv, and criticized efforts inside the European Union to block financing packages for Ukraine.

The NATO chief said the Lithuanian example reflects a broader shift in mindset across the alliance, with several major European powers now planning what he described as historic rearmament programs. He pointed in particular to Germany, where the 2026 federal budget allocates about €82.69 billion to the Bundeswehr and draws a further €25.5 billion from a special defense fund, lifting total defense spending above €108 billion as Berlin pursues its goal of building Europe’s strongest conventional land force. Rutte has repeatedly argued that NATO today is more robust than at any point since the end of the Cold War, citing higher European spending, new force posture decisions on the alliance’s eastern flank and continued US backing for Article 5 security guarantees.

Rutte has also used recent speeches to push allies toward more ambitious and longer-term financial goals, proposing that NATO members work toward devoting 3.5% of economic output to defense and an additional 1.5% to related infrastructure such as roads, ports and airfields that would support large-scale military operations. He credited pressure from Washington over the past decade, including during Donald Trump’s presidency, with forcing European capitals to confront years of underinvestment and accelerate their military build-up. In his view, meeting these higher benchmarks would both strengthen deterrence against Russia and answer long-standing US complaints about unequal burden sharing.

Warning that Russia’s war against Ukraine has transformed the security environment, Rutte said NATO must undertake what he called a “quantum leap” in capabilities to keep pace with Moscow’s rapid militarization. He has argued that the alliance needs to expand its air and missile defenses by about 400%, pointing to Russia’s intensive use of missiles and drones against Ukrainian cities as proof that NATO requires a far denser and more layered shield over its territory. Russian defense spending has surged since the full-scale invasion of Ukraine, with estimates suggesting that military expenditure now absorbs a large share of the state budget and underpins a sustained buildup of conventional and missile forces.

The Brussels press conference took place just after the fourth anniversary of Russia’s full-scale assault on Ukraine, a moment Rutte marked with a renewed appeal for stepped-up military, financial and humanitarian assistance to Kyiv. He cautioned that declarations of solidarity are not enough to change conditions on the battlefield, stressing that Ukraine needs a steady flow of ammunition, air defenses and other critical supplies “today and every day” until the fighting stops. For frontline states like Lithuania, he said, sustained support to Ukraine and continued investment in NATO deterrence are inseparable, since both are essential to preventing Russian aggression from spilling further west.