"Building a better NATO" | NATO Secretary General speech at Chatham House 🇬🇧, 9 JUN 2025

Video Description

"Building a better NATO" - Speech by NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte at Chatham House, London, 🇬🇧, 9 June 2025. 🗣 | NATO Secretary General: Thank you for the introduction, Bronwen. And it is a pleasure to be at Chatham House, which is still one of the world’s leading think tanks on international affairs. So it is a real honour to be here. It has been producing influential ideas for more than a century. And this is the place where I want to share the plan to build a better NATO. This plan will be at the heart of our Summit in The Hague. I want to thank the United Kingdom for more than seven decades of continuous commitment to NATO. It makes vital contributions to our shared security. The British Army leads NATO’s multinational force in Estonia. RAF jets are patrolling over Poland’s skies as part of NATO’s Air Policing Mission. NATO’s Maritime Command in Northwood directs our naval operations, and Royal Navy ships protect the seas. With a “NATO-first” policy at its core, I also warmly welcome the UK’s new Strategic Defence Review. It will strengthen and modernise Britain’s armed forces and enhance NATO’s collective defence. Commitment has a cost. And I welcome that the UK government will spend significantly more on defence in the future. I know we can count on the United Kingdom as we start the next chapter for NATO. *** In just two weeks, I will chair the NATO Summit of Allied leaders in The Hague. And this Summit will transform our Alliance. We will build a better NATO. One that is stronger, fairer and more lethal. So that we can continue to keep our people safe, and our adversaries at bay. Because of Russia, war has returned to Europe. We also face the threat of terrorism. And fierce global competition. Russia has teamed up with China, North Korea and Iran. They are expanding their militaries and their capabilities. Putin’s war machine is speeding up – not slowing down. Russia is reconstituting its forces with Chinese technology, and producing more weapons faster than we thought. In terms of ammunition, Russia produces in three months what the whole of NATO produces in a year. And its defence industrial base is expected to roll out 1,500 tanks, 3,000 armoured vehicles, and 200 Iskander missiles this year alone. Russia could be ready to use military force against NATO within five years. Five years. Let’s not kid ourselves, we are all on the Eastern flank now. The new generation of Russian missiles travel at many times the speed of sound. The distance between European capitals is only a matter of minutes. There is no longer East or West – there is just NATO. China is also modernising and expanding its military at breakneck speed. It already has the world’s largest navy. And its battle force is expected to grow to 435 ships by 2030. China is also building up its nuclear arsenal. And it aims to have more than 1,000 operational nuclear warheads, also by 2030. Those who stand against freedom and democracy are digging in. Preparing for long-term confrontation. And trying to dominate and divide us. In 1936, Winston Churchill posed this question during a debate in the House of Commons: “Will there be time to put our defences in order? …. Will there be time to make these necessary efforts, or will the awful words "too late" be recorded?” And that is the question for NATO now. History has taught us that to preserve peace, we must prepare for war. Wishful thinking will not keep us safe. We cannot dream away the danger. Hope is not a strategy. So NATO has to become a stronger, fairer and more lethal Alliance. *** A stronger NATO means spending much more on our defence. All Allies will reach the initial target of spending 2% of GDP on defence this year. That was a pledge made way back in 2014. Now, we have a concrete plan for the future. We know what we need. And we know what to do. At the Summit in The Hague, I expect Allied leaders will agree to spend 5% of GDP on defence. It will be a NATO wide commitment. And a defining moment for the Alliance. Transcript continues: https://www.nato.int/cps/en/natohq/opinions_235867.htm ℹ️ Read more about the NATO Summit in The Hague https://bit.ly/4dW3L44 ▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬ SUBSCRIBE to this channel https://bit.ly/NATOsubscribe SUBSCRIBE to NATO News https://bit.ly/NATONewsSubscribe SUBSCRIBE to NATO History https://bit.ly/NATOHistorySubscribe Connect with NATO online: Visit the Official NATO Homepage: https://bit.ly/NATOhomepage Receive NATO updates via email: https://bit.ly/NATOemails Find NATO on FACEBOOK: https://bit.ly/NATOfacebook Follow @NATO on X/TWITTER: https://bit.ly/NATOtwitter Follow NATO on Instagram: https://bit.ly/NATOinstagram Find NATO on LinkedIn: https://bit.ly/NATOlinkedin Find NATO on Flickr: https://bit.ly/NATOflickr #NATO #OTAN #ChathamHouse