Nato needs to back its ambitions in Ukraine with hard cash

Editorial: Rearmament is terrible but necessary in the face of Russian aggression – appeasement will not work

World leaders pose for a photo on Wednesday during the Nato summit in Madrid (PA)

It’s hardly unusual to spot a chasm between the well-meaning, brave and inspirational text that emerges from an international summit, and the actual reality of the situation the declaration purports to cover.

This has been consistently true of the various climate summits and their disappointing aftermath over the years and seems all too true of the Nato summit in Madrid. President Zelensky would be well advised to ask to see the colour of the Nato leaders’ money.

Literally so, in fact. Even now, many Nato members spend a pitifully small proportion of their national income on national defence and collective security. Some have long been nowhere near the Nato guideline of 2 per cent of GDP, most notably Germany, a state that could transform the security of east-central Europe if it applied itself (as it is now beginning to do).