Mark Rutte, secretary-general of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), said on the 6th that he will announce large new defense industry contracts at the NATO summit to be held in Ankara, the capital of Türkiye, on the 7th local time.
According to Reuters, Secretary-General Rutte held a news conference in Ankara and said, "We will announce new contracts worth tens of billions of dollars to provide key equipment needed for deterrence and defense."
NATO member states agreed at the NATO summit held in The Hague, Netherlands, in June last year to spend 5% of gross domestic product (GDP) on defense by 2035, as requested by U.S. President Donald Trump.
Secretary-General Rutte stressed that "NATO allies in Europe and Canada are already investing about 4% of GDP in defense and security," and that they are "moving to narrow the defense expenditure gap with the United States."
He added, "At the summit, I expect to present clear, concrete and credible plans to achieve the 5% target."
On the 5th, Matthew Whitaker, the U.S. ambassador to NATO, said regarding the main U.S. agenda items that "this NATO summit will review progress on the Hague defense pledge."