NATO Leaders Call for Greater European Role in Alliance Defense

The two officials spoke Tuesday at an industrial forum before the alliance's annual summit in Ankara, Turkey. Von der Leyen said close cooperation between the European Union and NATO requires interoperability between the organizations.

Rutte described a division of labor in which NATO handles command structure and capabilities while the EU manages industry and investment. He said NATO cannot continue being over-reliant on the United States and called for a stronger Europe within a stronger NATO.

Twenty-three of the EU's 27 member states are also NATO members. Von der Leyen outlined €150 billion in loans under the SAFE program and €135 billion provisionally allocated in the next EU budget to increase homegrown defense production.

Rutte said NATO needs a large increase in its defense industrial base on both sides of the Atlantic. He noted that Russia has placed its entire economy on a war footing and is working with North Korea, Iran, and China. Some NATO members have raised military spending toward a 5% of GDP target while others remain below that level.

The officials said the changes are intended to demonstrate that European allies are increasing their defense contributions.