Nato chief asks alliance members to make 'quantum leap'

Mark Rutte wants to 'strengthen shield that protects our skies' as he backs 5 per cent defence spending calls

Nato Secretary General Mark Rutte speaks at Chatham House in London. Getty Images

Nato Secretary General Mark Rutte warned on Monday that the "clock starts ticking" on a Russian attack on its members as soon as a ceasefire is declared in Ukraine.

With advanced Russian missiles putting Western nations within minutes of launch, he added that the entire alliance was "all the eastern front now". The Nato chief called for a “400 per cent increase” in air and missile-defence capacity is needed to counter the threat from Russia.

“The new generation of Russian missiles travel at many times the speed of sound," he said. "The distance between European capitals is only a matter of minutes. There is no longer east or west. There is just Nato.”

The Nato chief met UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer in London amid calls by US President Donald Trump for members of the transatlantic alliance to increase defence spending to 5 per cent of GDP. The current target is 2 per cent.

Mr Rutte believes a “quantum leap” in collective defence is needed. He is expected to warn that “wishful thinking will not keep us safe” and say that Nato must become a “stronger, fairer and more lethal alliance” to protect itself. “We see in Ukraine how Russia delivers terror from above, so we will strengthen the shield that protects our skies,” Mr Rutte said in a speech to the Chatham House think tank in London.

Ukrainian soldiers take part in a training exercise. AFP

His comments come ahead of a Nato summit in the Netherlands this month and amid mounting pressure by Mr Trump on Nato members to increase defence spending. The US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth said last week in Brussels that the allies were close to agreeing the 5 per cent target, which could be formalised at the summit in The Hague.

Nato members have been scrambling to bolster their defence capabilities since Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.

“Danger will not disappear even when the war in Ukraine ends,” Mr Rutte said. “We need a quantum leap in our collective defence … we must have more forces and capabilities to implement our defence plans in full. Our militaries also need thousands more armoured vehicles and tanks, millions more artillery shells.”

The UK’s Strategic Defence Review, which was published last week, recommended sweeping changes, including a greater focus on new technology, including drones and artificial intelligence based on rising budgets. It included plans to build up to 12 nuclear-powered attack submarines and six munitions factories to rearm the country in response to the threat from Russia.