Raise military spending or start the language lessons, Mark Rutte has told the European Parliament
European members in NATO should either drastically increase their military spending or start studying Russian, the US-led blocβs new secretary-general, Mark Rutte, has claimed, in a warning to EU lawmakers.
Rutteβs remarks came during a question and answer period at the end of the joint meeting of the European Parliamentβs Committee on Foreign Affairs (AFET) and the Subcommittee on Security and Defence (SEDE) on Monday.
While two thirds of NATO members are now meeting the blocβs 2014 target of spending 2% of their gross domestic product (GDP) on the military, it is not enough to protect them from Moscow, Rutte alleged.
βWe are safe now, but not in 4-5 years,β Rutte said. βSo, if you donβt do it, get out your Russian language courses or go to New Zealand. Or decide now to spend more.β
π΄ :VIDEO
— Ekrem H. Krasniqi (@E_H_Krasniqi) January 13, 2025
If (European) NATO countries donβt spend more on defence then βGET OUT YOUR RUSSIAN LANGUAGE COURSES or GO TO NEW ZEALAND,"
NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte says in a debate with members of the European Parliament π pic.twitter.com/NbWKniU8Jt
