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Hegseth confident in meeting: ‘Must be more than just flags’Many eyes are on the American delegate Pete Hegseth today. Since the return of President Donald Trump to the White House, the US has been very critical of the Western alliance. Trump is putting pressure on other NATO countries to increase their defense spending to 5 percent of their gross domestic product (GDP). It is currently 2 percent.
“To be an alliance, you have to be more than just flags,” Hegseth says upon arrival. “You have to be combat-ready.” The Secretary of Defense emphasizes the American demand of 5 percent. “We think that will work,” he adds.
Rutte just announced that major agreements will be made, but it is questionable whether the 5 percent standard will be part of that. Earlier, the NATO chief suggested a compromise of 3.5 percent.
Germany needs fifty to sixty thousand new troopsThe German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius says that Berlin needs at least fifty to sixty thousand active troops extra to meet the new NATO goals. He also emphasizes that Russia is the biggest threat to the alliance.
Germany has made a significant change of course in the field of Defense in recent weeks. The new Chancellor Friedrich Merz wants to build the strongest European army. For a long time, defense investments were sensitive for the Germans because of their war past.
Here we see the Dutch NATO chief together with the American Secretary of Defense Peter Hegseth. They gave a short opening statement here prior to the discussions.
Rutte upon arrival in Brussels: ‘Will make historic agreements’Mark Rutte has now arrived at NATO headquarters in Brussels. The NATO chief tells reporters that he expects to make “historic” agreements with the defense ministers present.
The goal is to bring the defense spending of Europe, Canada and the United States more into balance. Rutte adds that more money should be spent on air defense, long-range missiles and land forces.