"Let's just be honest about what's going on!" Rutte's 'good intention' for 2025?!
It already 'clashed' with the abrupt cancellation of the NATO press conference of Jan. 9!
Extracts interview Jan Slagter (Missie Max) with Mark Rutte: "I have many conversations and I speak to the defense industry. Peace Freedom and Security are not Free of Charge."
Q: Now that the Russians are becoming more aggressive, what do you expect for 2025 when it comes to Ukraine? Are we giving them enough support?
"We should do more. They also need more OFFENSIVE weapons. Whereby it is also clear to the world that America, the most important country in NATO, is not losing this. That it is important that America is on top!"
Q: I also recently heard you say that we need to go from 2 to 3 %.
"Well, at least more than 2. I won't mention a percentage because that's all very sensitive. But considerably more than 2%. That really has to be the case, that applies to all of us. We have to spend more and that has to happen by 2025 at the latest. In the entire alliance but certainly also in the European part."
Q: Do you also talk about that with the partners?
"Certainly, but I also try to talk directly to the 1 billion people who live in the NATO area, to say also talk to your politicians yourself and also tell them how important it is for you as a resident of country x or y. That your politicians see defense as the most important. And that that may also be at the expense of other expenses. We spend a lot on our health care, our social security, pensions. But you only need a fraction of that to increase that defense spending. It really has to be considerably more. We also need to produce more weapons, it's going too slowly. And the innovations. There are a lot of modern techniques and technologies that you have to use in that arms industry.
We're not at war but we're not really at peace at the moment. If you see the massive attacks, also on our cyber networks. You saw it in Belgium on post offices, in England on hospitals. We sometimes even see GPS systems where our planes have to fly safely that are jammed. It is really a dangerous time and it can get worse. So indeed not a war, I am not going to say that here, but there is also no normal peace situation so prepare yourself!
Q: 'Prepare yourself' but without scaring people unnecessarily?!
"No fear, But let's also be honest about what's going on!"
Q: Middle East, how do you look at that?
"Yes, that is of course heartbreaking when you see how many lives... in Gaza, in Lebanon... Of course it started on October 7 with the many deaths in Israel itself due to the terrorist attack by Hamas. That region is hit so terribly hard. NATO has no direct involvement there. Of course we do have a lot of contact with the countries there, with Jordan with Iraq. But also with countries a bit further away, Tunisia and Mauritania, we work together with them."