NATO to make ‘historic, transformative’ decisions, Rutte

NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte has pledged that the alliance will take “historic and transformative” steps to strengthen collective defence and security during the summit of NATO leaders underway in The Hague.

Addressing heads of state and government, Rutte praised the United States for bearing a “very heavy burden” over the years and emphasised the continued unity among member states around NATO’s core principle of mutual defence.

“The unwavering commitment of member states to Article 5 sends a powerful message,” he said, referring to the alliance's collective defence clause.

Rutte declared that the summit would produce decisions aimed at ensuring “a strong, fair and lethal NATO,” highlighting a renewed focus on burden-sharing and military readiness.

“Increasing defence spending to 5% of GDP will make the alliance even stronger,” he announced - an ambitious benchmark that significantly exceeds the current 2% target agreed by member states.