Rutte Urges NATO Allies to Boost Air Defense Assistance for Ukraine Amid Spending Surge

European allies and Canada are already investing around 4% of their GDP in defense and security, just one year into a decade-long pledge to reach 5%, NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte stated, according to UNITED24 Media correspondents on July 6.

The comments came at a press conference ahead of the alliance's 2026 summit in Ankara.

Rutte laid out the summit agenda at a pre-summit press conference at the Presidential complex in Ankara, hosted by Turkey's President Erdogan.

The pace marks a sharp rebalancing of the alliance's finances, putting European members on a trajectory to match US defense spending after years of leaning on Washington.

European allies and Canada spent nearly 20% more on core defense last year than the year before, Rutte noted.

Their extra investment across 2025 and 2026 combined reaches $258 billion. He indicated he expected member states in Ankara to bring concrete, credible plans to hit the 5% target set at last year's summit in The Hague.

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“The United States is doing everything it can to deliver on the PURL commitment, and they are doing so,” Rutte stated. He added that Ukraine is also working with NATO allies to expand production, including for interceptors, as the alliance approaches the issue from “every angle.”

He stated that PURL deliveries, including interceptors, are already being sent to Ukraine and used by Ukrainian forces, while acknowledging limits in NATO’s existing stocks.

“But they need our continued support, especially when it comes to air defense. Russia continues drone and missile attacks on Ukrainian cities, with another horrific attack just last night,” Rutte emphasized.

At a defense industry forum during the summit, the alliance will announce tens of billions of dollars in new contracts for drones, missiles, and interceptors, Rutte added. He framed the outlay as a way to turn economic strength into military capability while supporting jobs on both sides of the Atlantic.

The Hague summit one year ago fixed a single benchmark—5% of GDP on defense by 2035—for every member. Rutte described the early progress as evidence of a shift in mindset toward a stronger Europe within a stronger alliance.

He warned that Russia's continued drone and missile strikes on Ukrainian cities, including a horrific attack overnight, made sustained air defense support essential.

He urged every ally to pull its weight so that assistance keeps flowing.

"Because Ukraine's security is so closely linked with our own," Rutte added.

Rutte had previously credited Ukraine's forces with reshaping the fighting and demonstrating that Russia's war machine could be countered, tying continued alliance support to the case that Ukraine's defense is inseparable from Europe's own security.

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