NATO chief: Russia remains our current and long-term threat

On June 25, NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte said that Russia remained both a current and long-term threat to the alliance, citing Moscow's rising defence spending and military expansion.

Speaking after the NATO summit in The Hague, Rutte said Russia was allocating more than 40% of its budget to defence and rebuilding its armed forces.

"It is investing 40% of its budget in defence. Churning out military equipment around the clock. And learning quickly from the war it’s waging against Ukraine," he said.

According to Rutte, allied leaders had approved the Hague Defence Investment Plan, under which member states committed to spending 5% of their gross domestic product on defence and security-related needs.

Rutte argued that the increased investment was necessary because of what he described as the long-term threat posed by Russia to the wider Euro-Atlantic region.

By Aghakazim Guliyev