Comment on NATO boss to Europe: Spend more on defense, move to New Zealand, or learn Russian

NATO boss to Europe: Spend more on defense, move to New Zealand, or learn Russian

NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte at a European security meeting in Brussels in January 2025.Anadolu/Anadolu via Getty ImagesNATO Secretary General Mark Rutte said members have to boost spending.If not Europeans should "get out your Russian language courses or go to New Zealand," he said.The security alliance faces an intensified threat from Russia.NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte told members of the security alliance to boost defense spending or prepare to learn Russian.Speaking at the European Parliament in Strasbourg, France, Monday Rutte told European lawmakers that they have to urgently rethink spending priorities to ensure their security.It was the latest in a string of calls for Europe to rewire their economies to prioritize defense more heavily, as Russia continues its invasion of Ukraine and President-elect Donald Trump maintains his skepticism of the US underwriting European security.The line was to illustrate what NATO sees as the intensifying threat from Russia and President Vladimir Putin."We are safe now, but not in four or five years," he said.The alternative to higher spending, he said, was to "get out your Russian language courses or go to New Zealand.""I'm deeply concerned about the security situation in Europe," he said.

 

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