LONDON

NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte on Thursday underscored the critical role of the alliance in countering threats and emphasized the alliance's importance in safeguarding both the Euro-Atlantic and Indo-Pacific regions.

Rutte, speaking to military personnel and officials in Latvia, also reaffirmed his commitment to bolstering NATO's defense spending to address growing security challenges.

Defense spending is back into focus as former US President-elect Donald Trump returns to office. During his first term in the White House from 2017 to 2021, Trump criticized European countries for not spending enough on defense.​​​​​​​

NATO members are committed to spending at least 2% of GDP on defense.​​​​​​​

During meetings with Latvian President Edgars Rinkeviss and Prime Minister Evika Silina, Rutte emphasized the importance of NATO’s collaborative defense strategy.

He pointed to current global tensions as evidence of an increasingly interconnected threat landscape. "NATO is there not only to defend Europe and the US, but also to work together to make sure the Indo-Pacific and the Trans-Atlantic stay safe," Rutte said, noting the need for an allied approach to defend against escalating threats from Russia and its growing network of allies.

In his address at the NATO multinational brigade exercise Resolute Warrior at the Adazi military base, Rutte called attention to the heightened threats posed by Russian "aggression" in Ukraine, as well as Russia's alliances with North Korea, China, and Iran. He claimed North Korean soldiers are actively assisting Russia’s war effort in Ukraine.

Highlighting his past work with Trump, Rutte commended his efforts to push for higher NATO defense spending. "It was Trump who, from 2016 onwards, was pushing us on this part of NATO to spend more on defense," he said.

"Latvia is moving up to 3.5% in defense spending, and EU, NATO members have reached 2%, but we need to do more," he said, stressing the need to "ramp up industry production" to meet NATO’s evolving needs in light of ongoing security challenges.