'Ukraine's security linked to our own,' says Nato chief Rutte as he calls of 'concrete defence spending plan'

Nato Secretary General Mark Rutte has said allied nations are expected to present "clear, concrete and credible" plans to meet the alliance's target of spending five per cent of GDP on defence by 2035, as leaders gather for the Nato Summit in Ankara.

Previewing the summit, Rutte said the commitments made by Nato leaders at last year's summit in The Hague were already producing significant results.

"Here in Ankara, I expect nations to present clear, concrete and credible plans to reach that 5 per cent goal. And the evidence we see so far is impressive," Rutte said.

Highlighting progress made over the past year, he added, "Just one year into a 10-year project, we see that European Allies and Canada are already investing around 4 per cent of their GDP in defence and security."

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Rutte also stressed that support for Ukraine would remain a key focus of the summit, noting that Kyiv continues to face sustained Russian missile and drone attacks.

"Allies and NATO partners must continue to ensure Ukraine gets what it needs," he said.

Ukraine runs short of missiles

Ukraine was unable to intercept any of the 23 ballistic missiles launched by Russia during a recent attack, reflecting a critical shortage of US-made Patriot missile interceptors.

Patriot systems remain Ukraine’s only reliable defence against high-speed ballistic missiles, which are far more difficult to shoot down than drones or cruise missiles.

While Ukrainian air defences intercepted 37 other missiles and more than 90 per cent of the 351 drones launched by Russia, officials said the lack of Patriot interceptors has left cities increasingly vulnerable.

President Volodymyr Zelenskyy urged Ukraine’s Western partners to take “strong decisions” at the Nato summit, saying more Patriot missiles were urgently needed to protect civilians.

Russia’s Defence Ministry said its forces had carried out a “massive” strike using long-range precision weapons launched from air, land and sea, along with drones. It claimed the attacks targeted military facilities, energy infrastructure and airfields across Ukraine.

With inputs from agencies