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By Jon Jackson
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NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte called on members of the alliance to either increase their defense spending targets or start taking "Russian language courses."
Why It Matters
President-elect Donald Trump has frequently spoken about the need for NATO allies to increase the amount they spend on defense.
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NATO's current target for members' defense spending is 2 percent of their country's GDP. Trump said in 2018 during his first administration that the defense spending goal for NATO should be doubled to 4 percent.
While on the campaign trail in the lead-up to the 2024 presidential election, Trump also accused NATO of relying too much on U.S. contributions. During a December appearance on NBC's Meet the Press, he even suggested the U.S. could look at leaving NATO if members don't increase their defense spending.
Rutte has previously said Trump was right to push NATO to increase spending, saying at a November summit in Budapest that "you will not get there with the 2 percent."
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Newsweek reached out to NATO via email for comment on Tuesday.
What To Know
Rutte addressed the European Parliament on Monday for the first time since taking office. During his speech, the NATO chief outlined his goals, which included bringing NATO and the European Union "closer together" to thwart Russia's "destabilization campaign."
He also called on NATO to raise the current benchmark defense spending limit of 2 percent of each country's GDP.
"Everything I'm seeing at this moment is not nearly enough, and if we don't do it [raise spending targets], we are safe now but not in four or five years. So if you don't do it, get out your Russian language courses or go to New Zealand," Rutte said.
He added, "Or decide now to spend more, and that's exactly the debate we have to finalize over the next three or four months to stay safe in this part of the world."
What People Are Saying
Britain's Foreign Secretary David Lammy said during a January 9 speech: "Donald Trump and JD Vance are simply right when they say that Europe needs to do more to defend its own continent. It's myopia to pretend otherwise with Russia on the march."
Rutte said during a conference in December: "[Trump] wants to make sure that the U.S. is not overspending and we are not doing enough, and he's totally right. I mean, I remember when he became president in 2016, 2017, that he continued to push us, and since he became president we spent 641 billion more than before he came up...Of course the full onslaught—the full scale onslaught of Russia on Ukraine has also ramped up defense spending, but he was very successful in ramping it up."
What Happens Next?
The call to raise NATO defense spending has seen some push back, with German Chancellor Olaf Scholz recently calling the idea of his country spending more "half-baked" and questioning where nations will source the additional funds needed.
However, the topic of NATO increasing defense spending targets for allies will likely continue to be debated in the months ahead.
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