NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte praised Estonia’s role in the Alliance while underlining the importance of meeting new defence spending targets during a joint press conference with Estonian President Alar Karis in Brussels on 3 September.
Rutte said Estonia had been “a valued member of NATO, making major contributions to our shared security” since joining in 2004. He highlighted the UK-led Forward Land Forces based in Tapa, NATO’s Baltic Air Policing mission at Ämari, and the Cooperative Cyber Defence Centre of Excellence in Tallinn.
At the NATO Summit in The Hague earlier this year, Allies agreed to raise defence investment to 5% of GDP by 2035, with at least 3.5% earmarked for core military requirements. Rutte said Estonia was already close to this benchmark and “plan to go even further in the coming years.”
On support for Ukraine, Rutte commended Estonia’s policy of committing at least 0.25% of GDP annually and its contribution to NATO’s Comprehensive Assistance Package. He also pointed to the new US-led mechanism announced in Washington in July that has channelled $2 billion of aid to Ukraine in just a few weeks, with further packages planned. “Our ongoing support for Ukraine continues to be crucial – to ensure they have what they need to defend today. And so that when there is an end to this terrible war, peace will be protected,” he said.
Responding to questions from journalists, Rutte said NATO was finalising security guarantees for Ukraine in preparation for future peace negotiations. “For the Ukrainians, they have one overriding priority, that if this war ends… they want a situation in which this will never, ever happen again,” he stated.
On the challenge of reaching the 5% target, Rutte emphasised the need for steady progress rather than last-minute increases. “There has to be a credible trajectory from every country moving into the 5% target in 2035,” he said. He pointed to recent industrial expansion in Europe, including new Rheinmetall ammunition production, as a sign of how defence industries must scale up to meet demand.
Rutte concluded by reaffirming NATO’s unity. “We know and we agree that Russia remains the most significant and direct threat to Euro-Atlantic security. So we must remain vigilant, invest more in defence, expand defence industrial production, and continue to support Ukraine,” he said.
President Karis thanked the Secretary General for his words and reiterated Estonia’s commitment to strengthening NATO’s deterrence on its eastern flank.
