BRUSSELS, 31 March. - (ANA) -  at NATO Headquarters in Brussels, NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte presented his 2025 Annual Report.

 

In 2025, NATO started a new chapter. We took big decisions and decisive action to defend the Alliance, protect our way of life, and keep one billion people safe on both sides of the Atlantic.

 

We became stronger in the face of a more dangerous and complex security environment, characterised by multiple threats and challenges. Russia remains the most significant and direct threat to our security and to peace and stability in the Euro-Atlantic area. Its brutal war of aggression against Ukraine, now in its fifth year, is backed by China, North Korea, Iran and Belarus. Strategic competition is rising, terrorism is a persistent threat to NATO, and our southern neighbourhood is volatile. NATO is vigilant and will continue to keep our Alliance secure.

 

Throughout 2025, Russia continued to test the Alliance, becoming more reckless, including with airspace violations, sabotage and malign cyber activities. NATO’s response to Russia’s provocations has been swift, clear and decisive. To protect Allied critical infrastructure at sea, we launched Baltic Sentry. To increase our vigilance and to strengthen our deterrence and defence along the eastern flank, we also launched Eastern Sentry. Having more forces ready on land, at sea and in the air sends a strong signal of Allied solidarity, strength and resolve.

 

The historic NATO Summit in The Hague in June 2025 was a defining moment for our Alliance. Allied Leaders 4 agreed measures to significantly enhance our deterrence and defence. We committed to investing 5 percent of GDP annually in defence by 2035. That includes 3.5 percent to fund core defence and to meet the ambitious new NATO Capability Targets agreed in 2025. Another 1.5 percent will go towards defence- and security-related investments, such as for civil preparedness and resilience, unleashing innovation, protecting critical infrastructure and strengthening defence industries.

 

The Hague Defence Investment Plan is making NATO fairer and rebalancing the burden of our security for the better. NATO Allies’ total expenditure on core defence requirements is estimated to have been more than USD 1.4 trillion (in constant 2021 prices) in 2025. European Allies and Canada are doing more and investing more with their increased commitment marked by huge leaps in defence spending. Between 2014 and 2025, NATO Europe and Canada have more than doubled their annual defence expenditure, with a real-term increase of 106 percent.

 

In 2025 alone, NATO Allies in Europe and Canada invested a total of USD 574 billion in defence, a 20 percent increase in real terms compared to 2024. All Allies reported defence expenditure figures that met or went beyond the 2 percent target f irst set in 2014, with many making steep increases in spending, and three Allies already meeting the new 3.5 percent objective in 2025. This shows that NATO Allies recognise our changed security environment, and the need to meet our collective obligations. That makes us all safer and more secure, but we need to keep up the momentum. I expect Allies at the next NATO Summit in Ankara to show they are on a clear and credible path towards the 5 percent objective.

 

In The Hague, Allies also agreed to rapidly expand transatlantic defence industrial cooperation: to provide raw industrial capacity and more innovation, so that our armed forces get the capabilities they need and we can continue supporting Ukraine. We are working closely with the European Union and our partners in the Indo-Pacific region on this and in other areas.

 

We reaffirmed our strong support for Ukraine and, throughout 2025, NATO and Allies continued to step up. NATO launched the Prioritised Ukraine Requirements List initiative, or PURL, which is channelling American military hardware into Ukraine, paid for by Allies and partners. This is essential firepower that only the United States can provide at speed and at scale, and which is helping Ukraine hold the frontline and protect its people.

 

NATO’s long-term support means Ukraine can defend itself today, be in a strong position to secure a just and lasting peace, and be able to deter any Russian aggression in the future. In addition to existing programmes and structures to help Ukraine, such as NATO Security Assistance and Training for Ukraine, we opened the first ever joint NATOUkraine civil-military organisation in 2025. The Joint Analysis, Training and Education Centre in Poland is now delivering important lessons from the battlefield. NATO also continued to strengthen its deterrence and defence in 2025 by adapting its command structure. The area of responsibility of Joint Force Command Norfolk in the United States grew to include Denmark, Finland and Sweden.

 

NATO also opened a new Combined Air Operations Centre in Norway to enhance air operations in the High North, the Arctic and across the Alliance. Throughout 2025, NATO and Allies continued a robust exercise programme to test and train our armed forces and capabilities so they are always ready to deter and defend.

 

I expect the NATO Summit in Ankara this July to build on our achievements in 2025. There is no room for complacency and no time to waste, because the security of one billion people is at stake. A strong transatlantic bond remains essential in an age of global uncertainty. North America and Europe have always been stronger together in NATO and that is how we will continue to stay safe in a more dangerous world.   - (ANA) -

 

AB/ANA/31 March 2026 - - -