NATO needs 400% increase in air and missile defence, Rutte will say in London

FILE PHOTO: NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte speaks during a press conference on the eve of a NATO Defence Ministers meeting at the Alliance's headquarters in Brussels, Belgium June 4, 2025. REUTERS/Yves Herman/File Photo

LONDON (Reuters) -NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte will use a speech in London on Monday to say the military alliance needs a 400% increase in air and missile defence, one of the priorities for a summit of members in the Hague later this month.

Rutte is pushing for members to boost defence spending to 3.5% of GDP and commit a further 1.5% to broader security-related spending to meet U.S. President Donald Trump's demand for a 5% target. Last month, he said he assumed that target would be agreed at the summit on June 24-25.