British people “better learn to speak Russian” if Sir Keir Starmer does not massively ramp up defence spending, the Nato secretary general has warned.
Mark Rutte said he was “really impressed” by the prime minister’s strategic defence review unveiled last week.
And he called for Nato countries to set a “credible path” towards spending 5 per cent of their national incomes on defence amid the growing threat from Russia.
Speaking at London’s Chatham House, Mr Rutte said it is “not up to me” whether that means Rachel Reeves should consider tax hikes to pay for the commitment.
He added: “I mean, what I know is that if we want to keep our societies safe… look, if you do not do this, if you would not go to the 5%, including the 3.5% core defence spending, you could still have the National Health Service, or in other countries their health systems, the pension system, etcetera, but you had better learn to speak Russian.”
He did not set out a deadline by which Nato countries will have to reach the 5 per cent target, more than double what the UK currently spends on defence.
“I have a clear view on when we should achieve that,” he said. But he added: “I keep that to myself, because we are having these consultations now with allies, and these discussions are ongoing, and we will in the end agree on a date when we have to be there.”
His plans would see a return to Cold War levels of defence spending, with Russia’s war on Ukraine still raging and rising tensions around the world.
Nato chief Mr Rutte is in London to see Sir Keir ahead of a Nato summit in the Netherlands this month. The visit comes just days after the PM promised to make Britain “battle ready”, outlining Labour’s plans to overhaul the country’s defence capabilities.
Defence secretary John Healey meanwhile said Britain’s army needed to become “10 times more lethal” in the face of the “immediate and pressing threat” from Russia and the rise of China. “We are in a new era of threat, which demands a new era for UK defence,” he told MPs.
But the announcement descended into a row over funding, with Sir Keir refusing to commit to hiking defence spending to 3 per cent of GDP by 2034.
The PM was boosted on monday as Mr Rutte said the his plans to spend 2.5 per cent of GDP on defence from April 2027, with an aim to rise to 3 per cent over the next parliament, were not at odds with his own proposed target for the bloc.
The 5 per cent goal is not “some figure plucked from the air”, he said.
“The fact is we need a quantum leap in our defence. The fact is we must have more forces and capability to implement our defence plans in full.”
While he said the “exact details are classified”, Mr Rutte said there needed to be a 400 per cent increase in air and missile defence.
He said Russia could be ready to use force against Nato within five years.
“The new generation of Russian missiles travel at many times the speed of sound. The distance between European capitals is only a matter of minutes. There is no longer east or west. There is just Nato.”
As he met with Sir Keir in the White Room of No 10, he commended the Prime Minister on the “very good stuff” in the defence review.
“It is not only about the traditional things, of course we need them, like ammunition… there is also drones, innovation, building the defence industrial base. It is really broad, it is really making a big impression in Brussels I can tell you,” he said.
Sir Keir called Nato the “cornerstone of our defence” and the “most effective military alliance the world has ever seen”, adding that the task of the upcoming summit was to make sure it serves that purpose for decades to come.
Sir Keir also spoke to German chancellor Friedrich Merz on Monday and the two leaders welcomed efforts by Nato allies to step up defence spending as well as Mr Rutte’s suggestions to further boost it, a Downing Street spokeswoman said.
The boost to the defence budget announced last week will be confirmed by chancellor Ms Reeves in her spending review on Wednesday, when she will set out the government’s priorities for the next three years.
