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Rutte: Russia, NATO's biggest threat, is acting together with China, Iran and North Korea

01 July 2026 11:57 (UTC +04:00)

Military spending, increasing the production capacity of the defense industry, and continuing support for Ukraine are among the main topics of the NATO Summit in Ankara, NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte said in an interview with Anadolu, APA reports.

According to Rutte, the provision of personnel serving in the armed forces of NATO member states and the production capacity of the defense industry must be rapidly increased.

He drew attention to Türkiye's role in this matter, noting that around 3,000 defense industry companies in the country could make a significant contribution to the process.

Rutte said that the greatest threat to NATO comes from Russia, adding that Moscow is acting together with North Korea, Iran and China.

He stressed that China could possess 1,000 nuclear warheads by 2030.

"Therefore, we must not be naive about China either. Of these four countries acting together, the long-term fundamental threat continues to come from Russia," Rutte added.

Toghrul Guluzade

Military spending NATO Mark Rutte Russia China Iran North Korea Ukraine defense industry Türkiye Ankara Summit NATO Secretary General security armed forces military production