The war in Ukraine is one of the topics at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland. In a speech, NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte claimed that a Russian victory in Ukraine would significantly weaken the deterrence power of NATO and that restoring its credibility could cost billions.
“The price of restoring deterrence for the rest of NATO will be much, much higher than what we consider in terms of increasing our expenses and boosting our industrial production” Rutte said. He added that “it’s not going to be additional billions, but additional trillions”.
Kiev’s partners in the West urged Rutte to secure stronger support for Ukraine. “We must increase our engagement for Ukraine and not step back. The front line is moving in the wrong direction” they said.
Washington should continue to engage with Kiev and maintain weapon deliveries to Ukraine, Rutte said. “If the new Trump administration is willing to supply Ukraine further from its armory, the Europeans will pay the bill. I am absolutely convinced of that, and we must be ready for that” he added.
Rutte also supports Donald Trump’s demand for higher NATO contributions. Not all members meet the two-percent goal, Rutte said, although military spending has increased in recent years. “But two percent is not nearly enough” he said. Otherwise, the NATO would not be able to defend itself in four or five years, the NATO chief warned.
Before his election campaign, Trump had announced that he would only protect NATO member states that meet the two-percent goal. However, two weeks ago, Trump stated that NATO member states in Europe should increase their military spending to five percent of their gross domestic product. “You all can afford it” Trump said.