Speaking to journalists ahead of the 2025 NATO Summit in The Hague, Rutte described the summit as a "critical opportunity" to accelerate European and Canadian defense spending to match U.S. levels.

He added that European and Canadian allies are expected to increase their defense expenditures "not only to ensure our ability to defend ourselves against Russia or other threats, but also to achieve balance and fairness in burden-sharing."

Rutte emphasized that it is "only fair for European nations' spending to reach levels comparable to U.S. contributions to collective defense," stressing the importance of unified action in the face of growing security challenges.

The remarks come as the current NATO summit seeks to agree on new defense spending targets amid increasing U.S. pressure for a more equitable distribution of defense burdens within the Alliance.