Defence Ministers will meet in Brussels tomorrow (13 February 2025) to begin preparations for the NATO Summit in The Hague in June.
Previewing the meeting today, NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte highlighted the ongoing progress in defence spending. He announced that "in 2024, NATO Allies in Europe and Canada invested 485 billion US dollars in defence, a nearly 20% increase compared with 2023," and that he expects Allies to spend even more in 2025. "Since the 2014 Defence Investment Pledge, European Allies and Canada have added more than 700 billion additional US dollars for defence," he remarked, noting the substantial progress while emphasising the need for further investment to ensure equitable burden sharing.
Ministers will also focus on strengthening defence industrial capacity, including through an updated Defence Production Action Plan. "We need to go further, and faster," said Mr. Rutte, underlining the urgency for increased production capabilities across the Alliance.
Additionally, the meeting will tackle Russia's destabilizing actions against NATO Allies, including sabotage, assassination attempts, and attacks on critical infrastructure. Mr. Rutte mentioned NATO's response through the "Baltic Sentry" activity in the Baltic Sea and with increased vigilance across the board.
NATO's support to Ukraine will be a key agenda item. In tomorrow's NATO-Ukraine Council meeting with Defence Minister Rustem Umerov and EU High Representative Kaja Kallas, the situation on the ground and Ukraine's urgent needs will be addressed. Mr. Rutte praised the recent substantial aid from Sweden, Finland, and Canada, among others, and highlighted the role of NATO's new command in Wiesbaden in coordinating assistance. "Allies have not only met their commitments. They far exceeded them," he stated, referring to the over 50 billion euros provided in 2024, with more than half coming from European Allies and Canada. He stressed the importance of this support in strengthening Ukraine's position both on the battlefield and in negotiations for a lasting peace.
Today, the UK is hosting the next meeting of the Ukraine Defense Contact Group at NATO Headquarters, with Mr. Rutte welcoming the participation of the new US Secretary of Defense, Pete Hegseth, for his first meeting at NATO.
