NATO’s Secretary General, Mark Rutte, has warned that Russia could be ready to attack within five years and urged Western allies to increase military spending to 5% of GDP by this month to contain the threat. The proposal includes a significant rearmament effort to deter an increasingly militarised Russia.
Rutte stated that NATO needs a “quantum leap in our collective defence” and proposed increasing air defense, tanks, and artillery shells to boost stockpiles and ensure member countries match existing Russian production levels. The plan also aims to improve logistics, supply, transportation, and medical support capabilities.
Western military planners believe Russia will retain an active army of over 600,000 personnel and maintain high defence spending of around 6.5% of its GDP, posing a threat to NATO’s eastern flank in under half a decade. Britain is expected to sign up to the plan as part of efforts to maintain US support.
The proposal has sparked criticism from Moscow, with Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov calling it an “instrument of aggression and confrontation”. Russia claims that the threat is being exaggerated, but ordinary citizens would bear the cost of increased military spending. The UK’s strategic defence review has also highlighted a new era of threat and called for Britain to become “battle-ready” to deter Russia.
Rutte did not set a concrete date for achieving the 5% target, citing ongoing negotiations among allies. The proposal is part of a broader effort to strengthen NATO’s credibility and deterrence capabilities in the face of rising Russian aggression.
Source: https://www.theguardian.com/world/2025/jun/09/nato-chief-russia-quantum-leap-defence