Olaf Scholz meets NATO chief Rutte in Berlin

NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte met with Chancellor Olaf Scholz in Berlin on Monday, in his first visit to Germany as the alliance's chief.

Of particular security concern for the NATO countries at the moment is the recent addition of North Korean soldiers to Russian troops fighting in Ukraine, marking a new escalation of the conflict.  

Rutte wants higher German defense spending

At a press conference after the meeting, Rutte said German defense spending was still too low, despite recent increases. Germany is now investing 2% of its gross domestic product in defense for the first time in three decades, but all Allies need to invest more, he said.

But Rutte voiced confidence that Germany would continue to take steps in this direction. He thanked Scholz in particular for the budget increases in recent years. 

"As a former prime minister, I know that it is not always easy for governments to allocate funds for national defense and for aid to Ukraine, but both are crucial for our collective security," said Rutte, the former prime minister of the Netherlands. 

Scholz promised to resolutely continue on this path, emphasizing that German defense spending has doubled in the past seven years. He also said that he believed NATO's European pillar must be further strengthened.

"Europe will make considerable investments in this in the coming years," Scholz said. "It's about being able to counter any threat to security in Europe."

The chancellor tried to appear calm in the face of the dispute within his coalition government. He urged his coalition partners to overcome their differences, insisting that the government must do its job and that pragmatism is the right approach.

"We have a basis for this. It is the coalition agreement. It has been negotiated," Scholz said.

No news on Ukrainian NATO membership

Expectations that Ukraine could be invited to join NATO were played down by both leaders.

Scholz said decisions at the NATO summits in Vilnius in 2023 and in Washington in 2024 had been made with regard to Ukraine, and that there was no need to make any new decisions, because the situation hadn't changed.

"What's important now is that Ukraine does not run out of weapons," he added. 

Rutte also said the Washington summit had committed Ukraine to an irreversible path toward NATO membership. "I am absolutely convinced that one day Ukraine will be a member of NATO," he said.

The NATO chief warned that Russian President Vladimir Putin would not stop if he were to win in Ukraine. Russia is carrying out an "intensifying campaign" of hybrid attacks across NATO through violence, sabotage and interference in the alliance's democracies, Rutte said. "This shows that the shifting front in this war is no longer just in Ukraine," he added, noting Russian activity in Western Europe, the Baltics and the Arctic. 

Rutte said the deployment of North Korean troops in Russia against Ukraine was a significant escalation. "It makes us even more focused and determined to make sure that Ukraine has what it needs to fight off the Russians, including the North Koreans," he added.

At least 8,000 North Koreans in Russia

US intelligence puts the number of North Koreans now near the front lines at about 8,000. While they have yet to engage in combat, the White House says they expect this to happen soon, and then more soldiers from the isolated country will follow.

There are also wider concerns about a North Korean army with experience in modern warfare.

Russian President Vladimir Putin has not denied the presence of the North Koreans among his ranks, arguing that Kyiv employs security personnel from NATO.

dh, es/msh (AFP, dpa)