Latest news with #Rutte
Yahoo
3 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Carney says he wants Canada to join major European defence plan
Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney said he wants his country to join a major European plan to bolster defences by 1 July. Speaking to CBC on Tuesday, Carney said he hoped Canada would sign on to ReArm Europe - a plan to dramatically increase defence spending on the continent to in the next five years - in a bid to reduce reliance on the US. "Seventy-five cents of every (Canadian) dollar of capital spending for defence goes to the United States. That's not smart," Carney told the public broadcaster. His remarks come amid tension with the US after threats from President Donald Trump - though Carney has also previously said he is open to joining a missile defence project proposed by Trump. A day after Carney's remarks, Canada's defence minister told a military trade show that his country wanted to quickly boost defence capacity in the face of growing global threats. "The global security environment is today volatile and uncertain," said defence minister David McGuinty on Wednesday, citing Russia's war in Ukraine, as well as a more assertive China. McGuinty said there would be a future focus on the Arctic, where competing nations were challenging Canada's sovereignty. Defence also featured on Tuesday in the Speech from the Throne - an event that opened the new parliament and outlined the sitting government's agenda. The address was read in person by King Charles III, Canada's monarch, as part of a royal visit that was designed to highlight Canada's identity and sovereignty. The speech - which was written by both the King with his advisers and the Canadian government - contained commitments to "rebuilding, rearming, and reinvesting" in Canada's military. It also outlined the government's goal of strengthening defence relationships with European allies, and made mention of joining the ReArm Europe plan. Canada 'strong and free' and other takeaways from King's throne speech King's Canadian speech doesn't mention you-know-who The remarks by Canadian officials come after Nato Secretary General Mark Rutte said he expected members of his Western defence alliance - including Canada - to grow their annual defence spending to a level equivalent to 5% of each nation's GDP. The Nato target was previously 2% of GDP, but Rutte said members must prepare to defend themselves from increasingly powerful adversaries like Russia and China. "Russia has teamed up with China, North Korea and Iran," Rutte told a Nato forum in the US on Monday. "They are expanding their militaries and their capabilities. They are preparing for long-term confrontation." The plan to increase Nato's spending target still has to be approved by member-country leaders, who are set to meet in the Netherlands in late June. Canada has long faced pressure for failing to meet Nato targets, and was accused last year by US House Speaker Mike Johnson of "riding on America's coattails". Canadian business leaders have also called on their government to majorly boost spending in the defence industry, touting this as a way to boost the economy. In Wednesday's remarks, McGuinty told defence industry representatives that Carney's government would prioritise procuring military technology and equipment from Canadian companies. Last week, Carney said that "high-level" talks were also taking place with the US about joining Trump's Golden Dome missile defence system. The King's throne speech noted that Canada wanted to continue talks with the US on security on trade. The US president posted on his Truth Social network later on Tuesday evening that the Golden Dome project would cost Canada US$61bn "if they remain a separate, but unequal, Nation." "But will cost ZERO DOLLARS if they become our cherished 51st State," he added, repeating his often-repeated view that Canada should be absorbed by the US. "They are considering the offer!" he claimed. In response, Carney's office said in a statement that the prime minister "has been clear at every opportunity, including in his conversations with President Trump, that Canada is an independent, sovereign nation, and it will remain one". Carney says Canada in talks to join Trump's Golden Dome defence system Canada faces pressure at Nato summit for riding on 'coattails'
Yahoo
4 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
NATO set to commit to five percent defense spending goal amid threats from Trump
NATO Secretary General and former Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte has said that he believes that the alliance will commit to a new defense spending goal of five percent of GDP at its next summit in June. "I assume that in The Hague we will agree on a higher defense spending target of in total five percent," he said at the NATO Parliamentary Assembly in Dayton, Ohio, Politico noted. The expected measure comes after months of pressure from President Donald Trump. Earlier this year, the commander-in-chief warned that NATO allies would put American protection at risk if members did not increase their own military spending. Many allies rejected the notion at the time as mere political noise. But tensions in Europe's relationship with Russia have increased, the discussion has shifted, with a greater focus on European military readiness. A rising number of leaders are backing the new goal, a significant jump from NATO's current two percent of GDP target. Dick Schoof said earlier this month that Rutte, his predecessor in the role as Dutch prime minister, wrote to NATO leaders arguing that they must reach 3.5 percent of GDP on 'hard military spending,' and 1.5 percent of GDP on spending connected to 'infrastructure, cybersecurity and other things.' Rutte's comments on Monday were the first time that the secretary general backed the five percent target. The boost would be substantial. No country currently spends 5 percent of their GDP. The U.S. spends about 3.5 percent. Rutte didn't specifically share the makeup of the five percent goal, but noted that the baseline for traditional military spending would be 'considerably north of 3 percent.' He added that further funding would be expected to go toward infrastructure and logistics. The most recent numbers from the alliance reveal that 23 of the 32 member states are on pace to be spending at least two percent by the summer. That's a significant increase since 2014, when the target was set following the initial Russian military activity against Ukraine. At that time, only three members were spending that much. Poland, the top spender in the alliance, spends about 4.7 percent of its GDP. Lithuania and Latvia have said they have plans to hit or go past five percent in the next two years.
Time of India
4 days ago
- Politics
- Time of India
NATO Chief Warns of Possible Trump-Zelensky Clash At June Summit, Urges Kyiv To Stay In Sync With US
/ May 28, 2025, 07:31AM IST Tensions between the U.S. and Ukraine are casting a shadow over the upcoming NATO summit, with NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte voicing concern about a potential clash between U.S. President Donald Trump and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky. Rutte fears renewed friction could embarrass Zelensky and undermine the summit's unity. The warning follows a heated Oval Office meeting in February that escalated into a public spat. Rutte has reportedly urged Zelensky to mend ties with Trump, as his leadership faces a critical test during the high-stakes gathering.
UPI
5 days ago
- Business
- UPI
NATO head expects members to agree to spend 5% GDP on defense
NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte addresses a press conference following an informal meeting foreign ministers of member nations on May 15, 2025. On Monday, he said he expects member nations to agree to spend 5% GDP on defense spending next month in The Hague. Photo by NATO/UPI | License Photo May 27 (UPI) -- NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte said that he expects alliance members to agree during next month's summit to a defense spending target of 5% of gross domestic product. Rutte made the revelation during the sixth and final day of the NATO Parliamentary Assembly in Dayton, Ohio. "I assume that in The Hague we will agree on a hard defense spend target of 5%," he said. "Let's say that this 5%, but I will not say what is the individual breakup, but it will be considerably north of 3% when it comes to the hard spend and it will be also a target on defense-related spending." "We need this, because otherwise we can never, ever, ever reach the capability targets," he added. All NATO members have agreed to spend at least 2% of their GDP on defense by 2025, with no country yet reaching the 5% threshold. NATO spending by member nations has long been an issue of contention for U.S. President Donald Trump, who has called for European nations to pay more, accusing them of relying on Washington for their defense. Since returning to the White House in January, Trump has been calling for NATO members to increase defense spending to 5%. Of the 32 NATO nations, Poland spent an alliance-high 4.12% of GDP on defense last year, according to statistics from the security alliance, with Estonia second at 3.43% and the United States third at 3.38%. Eight countries spent below the 2% GDP on defense last year, with Spain coming in last at 1.28% GDP. The NATO Summit is to be held in The Hague from June 24-25, where world leaders and defense chiefs of alliance members will congregate to discuss pressing security issues and decide on the alliance's strategic direction.
Calgary Herald
5 days ago
- Business
- Calgary Herald
NATO chief Rutte says members moving toward 5% spending target
Article content NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte confirmed the alliance will seek to adopt a new defence spending target of five per cent of GDP at a June summit, meeting a demand by United States President Donald Trump that had originally seemed unrealistic. Article content 'I assume that in The Hague we will agree on a higher defence spending target of in total five per cent,' Rutte said during a televised question and answer session at the NATO parliamentary assembly in the U.S. Article content Article content Dutch Prime Minister Dick Schoof had mentioned this number as having been proposed by the secretary general, and Bloomberg reported the positive momentum toward reaching it. This was the first public endorsement for the target by Rutte. Article content Article content The proposal includes a 3.5 per cent target for hard defence spending and an extra 1.5 per cent for defence-related outlays such as infrastructure for military mobility. Rutte didn't not confirm the specifics but said the target for hard defences pending would be 'considerably north of three per cent' with an extra target for related spending. Article content Trump first demanded allies spend five per cent earlier this year after threatening to pull out of the alliance or to only protect the allies that spent enough on defence. The figure was widely regarded as unrealistic when he first mentioned it, but European allies and Canada have come around to the understanding that their spending had to drastically increase. Article content
