Russia remains the biggest threat, NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte said today at a press conference at the presentation of the annual report on the alliance's activities. He also noted that China continues to arm itself until the dangers of terrorism have disappeared, BTA writes.
We are observing increasingly irresponsible Russian behavior with violations of airspace and hybrid threats against NATO countries, Rutte added. We have long recognized the threats from the Iranian nuclear program, the United States is now limiting these capabilities, he pointed out. Rutte explained that the US did not coordinate actions against Tehran with its European allies due to the need for this information to remain secret and to prevent its leakage.
Obviously, Iran has increasingly dangerous capabilities, the strikes on the "Diego Garcia" base 4,000 kilometers away show what the threat is, Rutte explained. NATO has repeatedly made it clear that it does not want Iran to develop missile and nuclear capabilities, Tehran has been wreaking havoc for many years, he added.
Rutte explained that despite the events in the Middle East, Ukraine continues to receive significant military equipment, including from the US and paid for by European allies. All territorial decisions depend on Ukraine, he added, referring to the possibility that Kiev could cede Donbass to Russia in full in exchange for security guarantees from the United States.
According to him, all countries in the alliance are already meeting the target of military spending of 2 percent of GDP, according to the decision adopted in 2014. According to him, there is a 20 percent increase in spending among allies from Europe and Canada compared to 2024. Without US President Donald Trump, this would not have happened, Rutte summarized.