NATO's Rutte calls for 400% increase in air defenses to counter Russia, Bloomberg reports
NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte called on alliance members to deliver a "quantum leap" in defense investment as the threat from Russia persists, Bloomberg reported on June 9.
"Danger will not disappear even when the war in Ukraine ends," Rutte said in prepared remarks for a speech at Chatham House in London. "We must have more forces and capabilities to implement our defense plans in full."
Rutte urged NATO members to boost air and missile defense by 400%, citing lessons from Russia's attacks on Ukraine.
Russia has been repeatedly targeting Ukrainian cities with missiles and drones of different types. Most recently, on June 9, Russia launched 499 drones and missiles during its massive overnight attack across Ukraine.
Kyiv has been consistently calling on its allies to boost air defense support.
"We see in Ukraine how Russia delivers terror from above, so we will strengthen the shield that protects our skies," Rutte said, according to Bloomberg.
Rutte is pushing for NATO countries to adopt a new military spending target of 3.5% of gross domestic product (GDP) by 2032, alongside an additional 1.5% of GDP for security-related projects such as cyber defense and border control. The proposal comes after U.S. President Donald Trump called on allies to spend 5% of GDP on defense.
Rutte's remarks follow his earlier warning during an April visit to the White House, where he met with Trump. There, he reiterated that NATO views Russia as a "long-term threat" to Euro-Atlantic security.
"We all agree, in NATO, that Russia is the long-term threat to NATO territory, to the whole of the Euro-Atlantic territory," Rutte said after those talks.
Read also: Amid missile shortage, Ukraine's air defenses are struggling under Russian ballistic attacks
We've been working hard to bring you independent, locally-sourced news from Ukraine. Consider supporting the Kyiv Independent.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
24 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Trump's new travel ban: Which countries are on the list? Who's exempt? How are people reacting?
President Trump's sweeping new travel ban went into effect on Monday, barring citizens of 12 countries from visiting the United States and imposing restrictions on those from seven others. In a video message last week announcing the ban, Trump cited national security concerns, claiming that foreigners who were not properly vetted posed a terror risk. "We cannot have open migration from any country where we cannot safely and reliably vet and screen those who seek to enter the United States,' Trump said. The president also cited the recent attack in Boulder, Colo., by a man who allegedly shouted 'Free Palestine' and threw Molotov cocktails into a crowd of people calling for the release of Israeli hostages being held by Hamas. 'The recent terror attack in Boulder, Colo., has underscored the extreme dangers posed to our country by the entry of foreign nationals who are not properly vetted, as well as those who come here as temporary visitors and overstay their visas,' Trump said. 'We don't want them.' The suspect, identified as 45-year-old Mohamed Sabry Soliman, was arrested and charged with a hate crime. According to the Department of Homeland Security, Soliman is from Egypt and had overstayed a tourist visa. Egypt is not among the countries included in Trump's new travel ban. The ban, which went into effect Monday at 12:01 a.m. ET, prohibits foreign nationals from the following countries from entering the U.S.: Afghanistan Chad Republic of Congo Equatorial Guinea Eritrea Haiti Iran Libya Myanmar (Burma) Somalia Sudan Yemen It imposes partial restrictions on foreign nationals from the following countries: Burundi Cuba Laos Sierra Leone Togo Turkmenistan Venezuela There are numerous groups of people who are exempt from Trump's new travel ban. They include: Any lawful permanent resident of the United States. Dual citizens, or U.S. citizens who also have citizenship of one of the banned countries. Athletes and their coaches traveling to the U.S. for the World Cup, Olympics or other major sporting events determined by the U.S. secretary of state. Afghan Special Immigrant Visa holders who worked for the U.S. government or its allies during the war in Afghanistan. Children adopted by U.S. citizens. Diplomats and foreign government officials or representatives of international organizations and NATO on official visits. Foreign national employees of the U.S. government who have served abroad for at least 15 years, their spouses and children. Individuals with U.S. family members who apply for visas in connection to their spouses, children or parents. Iranians belonging to an ethnic or religious minority who are fleeing prosecution. Refugees who were granted asylum or admitted to the U.S. before the ban. Those traveling to the United Nations headquarters in New York solely on official business. The announcement angered humanitarian groups working to resettle refugees. 'President Trump's new travel ban is discriminatory, racist, and downright cruel,' Amnesty International USA said in a statement posted to X. 'By targeting people based on their nationality, this ban only spreads disinformation and hate.' "This policy is not about national security,' Abby Maxman, president of Oxfam America, said in a statement. 'It is about sowing division and vilifying communities that are seeking safety and opportunity in the United States." 'To include Afghanistan — a nation whose people stood alongside American service members for 20 years — is a moral disgrace,' Shawn VanDiver, president and board chairman of #AfghanEvac, said in a statement. 'It spits in the face of our allies, our veterans, and every value we claim to uphold.' The African Union Commission released a statement expressing concern about 'the potential negative impact' of the ban on educational exchange, commerce and engagement and the 'broader diplomatic relations that have been carefully nurtured over decades.' The commission said it 'respectfully calls upon the U.S. Administration to consider adopting a more consultative approach and to engage in constructive dialogue with the countries concerned.' The new travel ban is similar to the one Trump imposed in January 2017, his first month in office. That ban restricted travel to the U.S. by citizens of seven predominantly Muslim countries — Iraq, Syria, Iran, Sudan, Libya, Somalia and Yemen. (Syria and Iraq are not included on the new list.) It went into effect via an executive order with virtually no notice, causing chaos at airports nationwide and prompting numerous legal challenges. The U.S. Supreme Court upheld a version of it in 2018. Stephen Vladeck, a professor at Georgetown University Law Center, told the New York Times that the new ban is more likely to withstand legal scrutiny. 'They seem to have learned some lessons from the three different rounds of litigation we went through during the first Trump administration,' Vladeck said. 'But a lot will depend upon how it's actually enforced.'
Hamilton Spectator
27 minutes ago
- Hamilton Spectator
NATO chief calls for ‘quantum leap' in defense and says Russia could attack in 5 years
LONDON (AP) — NATO members need to increase their air and missile defenses by 400% to counter the threat from Russia, the head of the military alliance said Monday, warning that Moscow could be ready to attack it within five years. Secretary-General Mark Rutte said during a visit to London that he expects the 32 NATO members to agree to a big hike in military spending at a summit in the Netherlands this month. Speaking at the Chatham House think tank, Rutte said Russia is outpacing the far bigger NATO in producing ammunition, and the alliance must take a 'quantum leap' in collective defense. 'Wishful thinking will not keep us safe,' Rutte said. 'We cannot dream away the danger. Hope is not a strategy. So NATO has to become a stronger, fairer and more lethal alliance.' Rutte has proposed a target of 3.5% of economic output on military spending and another 1.5% on 'defense-related expenditure' such as roads, bridges, airfields and sea ports. He said he is confident the alliance will agree to the target at its summit in The Hague on June 24-25. At the moment, 22 of the 32 members meet or exceed NATO's current 2% target, which was set in 2014. Rutte said he expects all to reach 2% by the end of this year. The new target would meet a demand by U.S. President Donald Trump that member states spend 5% of gross domestic product on defense. Trump has long questioned the value of NATO and complained that the U.S. provides security to European countries that don't contribute enough. Rutte said he agreed that 'America has carried too much of the burden for too long.' Rutte said NATO needs thousands more armored vehicles and millions more artillery shells, as well as a 400% increase in air and missile defense. 'We see in Ukraine how Russia delivers terror from above, so we will strengthen the shield that protects our skies,' he said. 'Russia could be ready to use military force against NATO within five years,' Rutte added. 'We are all on the eastern flank now.' Rutte also held talks Monday with Prime Minister Keir Starmer and praised the U.K.'s commitment to increase defense spending as 'very good stuff.' Starmer has pledged to boost military spending to 2.5% of gross domestic product by 2027 and to 3% by 2034. Like other NATO members, the U.K. has been reassessing its defense spending since Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. European NATO members, led by the U.K. and France, have scrambled to coordinate their defense posture as Trump transforms American foreign policy , seemingly sidelining Europe as he looks to end the war in Ukraine. Last week the U.K. government said it would build new nuclear-powered attack submarines, prepare its army to fight a war in Europe and become 'a battle-ready, armor-clad nation.' The plans represent the most sweeping changes to British defenses since the collapse of the Soviet Union more than three decades ago. Error! Sorry, there was an error processing your request. There was a problem with the recaptcha. Please try again. You may unsubscribe at any time. By signing up, you agree to our terms of use and privacy policy . This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google privacy policy and terms of service apply. Want more of the latest from us? Sign up for more at our newsletter page .
Yahoo
27 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Solar Bankruptcies Show US Clean Energy Industry Is Teetering on the Brink
(Bloomberg) -- The US clean energy industry is starting to buckle under the weight of persistently elevated borrowing costs, President Donald Trump's anti-renewables policies and high tariffs. Next Stop: Rancho Cucamonga! Where Public Transit Systems Are Bouncing Back Around the World Trump Said He Fired the National Portrait Gallery Director. She's Still There. US Housing Agency Vulnerable to Fraud After DOGE Cuts, Documents Warn Senator Calls for Closing Troubled ICE Detention Facility in New Mexico The latest domino to fall is residential solar company Sunnova Energy International Inc., which filed for bankruptcy early Monday. Its demise follows the Chapter 11 filing last week of Solar Mosaic LLC, one of the biggest lenders in the rooftop solar market. And it's not just home solar firms running into trouble: Since January, businesses have canceled or delayed more than $14 billion in clean energy and electric vehicle investments, according to a recent analysis by E2, a non-partisan group that advocates for renewables and policies to protect the environment. Clean energy's financing struggles arrive at a critical time for the US power industry. Utilities are rushing to meet growing demand from data centers running artificial intelligence applications. Advocates for solar, wind and batteries say those resources are faster — and cheaper — to deploy compared with traditional generation sources. But the Trump administration's support for fossil fuels is putting renewables' grip on the market at risk. The outlook for the residential solar industry is especially bleak. US House Republicans have advanced a bill that would end federal tax credits for solar panels offered in former President Joe Biden's landmark climate law. Losing those incentives - which are now being debated in the US Senate - would decimate the home solar market and are already freezing investments, analysts and executives have said. The ripping away of tax credits in the House bill 'will eliminate at least half of the market for residential solar energy,' Roth Capital Partners analyst Phil Shen wrote in a research note. The troubles for Sunnova, one of the country's largest home-solar firms, started before Trump came into office. The company took on a pile of corporate debt, much of it convertible to shares, that it wasn't able to pay off after sales softened. Efforts to cut costs and streamline the business fell short. And the possible end of federal support made potential investors skittish about the company's prospects. The rooftop solar sector 'has a long history of companies getting into financing trouble,' said Joe Osha, an analyst at Guggenheim Securities. 'This whole business model is predicated on this ability to raise capital, put stuff on people's roofs and create a stream of cash flow to satisfy third-party capital providers and leave something left for the company.' Sunnova's corporate borrowing came at a time when the outlook for solar was rosier. In 2023, the company also got a $3 billion partial loan guarantee from the Biden administration to support solar loans to disadvantaged homeowners. Most of that loan was canceled before Sunnova filed. But sluggish sales and delayed payments to its dealers eroded confidence in the company. In March, Sunnova's founder and Chief Executive Officer John Berger stepped down after the company warned that it may not be able to remain in business. Prior to the bankruptcy filing, the shares had plunged more than 90% since the start of the year, leaving it with a market cap of $27.5 million. 'They got tripped up on leverage,' said Julien Dumoulin-Smith, an analyst for Jefferies LLC. 'And it's a volatile business.' The bankruptcy filings for Sunnova and Solar Mosaic were just the latest from rooftop companies with national scope. Last year, one of the most prominent names in solar, SunPower Corp., filed for Chapter 11. Years before, SolarCity was bought by Tesla Inc. after amassing a large amount of debt. Sunnova's strategy of chasing growth over cash generation hit turbulence when interest rates rose and California, the biggest home solar market, slashed subsidies two years ago, Osha said. The SEC Pinned Its Hack on a Few Hapless Day Traders. The Full Story Is Far More Troubling Cavs Owner Dan Gilbert Wants to Donate His Billions—and Walk Again What America's Pizza Economy Is Telling Us About the Real One New Grads Join Worst Entry-Level Job Market in Years America Cast Itself as the World's Moral Leader. Not Anymore ©2025 Bloomberg L.P. Error in retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data
