NATO chief Mark Rutte said on July 1 next week’s NATO summit in the Turkish capital Ankara should be a “summit of delivery and implementation,” stressing defense spending, support for Ukraine and defense industrial production as the alliance’s top priorities.
Allies are expected to focus on delivering commitments made at last year’s NATO summit in The Hague, particularly on increasing defense spending, Rutte told state-run Anadolu Agency.
He said defense spending by European allies and Canada has risen significantly, noting that nearly $250 billion in additional spending has been committed over the past two years.
He said NATO must also maintain support for Ukraine while accelerating defense industrial production across the alliance.
Stressing the need to “build this NATO 3.0, a stronger Europe and a stronger NATO,” he said, “We need to really ramp up the defense industrial production, because it is an integral part of our deterrence.”
He noted that while defense budgets are rising, allies also face challenges in expanding military personnel and boosting defense industry output to meet growing security needs.
Highlighting Türkiye’s role, Rutte said the country has become a major defense industry hub with around 3,000 defense companies.
