NATO Secretary General Rutte praises the US: Europe cannot defend itself

NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte was a guest at a joint session of the European Parliament's Subcommittee on Security and Defence, the Committee on Foreign Affairs, and the Delegation for Relations with the NATO Parliamentary Assembly in Brussels, Belgium, where he answered questions from European politicians.

In response to questions regarding the content of his meeting with US President Donald Trump in Davos, Switzerland—where the World Economic Forum was held—concerning Greenland, Rutte said the discussion focused on the protection of the Arctic region. Emphasizing that the collective protection of the Arctic and Greenland by NATO allies, as well as keeping Russia and China out of the region both militarily and economically, were discussed with Trump, Rutte said, "I do not have the authority to negotiate on behalf of Denmark regarding Greenland. I have not done so and I will not. That is up to Denmark."

Rutte stated that NATO would separately address the capability targets necessary for the security of the Arctic region. Regarding the NATO-European Union (EU) partnership, Rutte said that NATO's role is in standard-setting, capabilities, command, and control, while the EU's role lies in the industrial base, regulation, and financing. In response to a question about Europe building its own defense due to declining trust in the US, Rutte said, "I think this is, of course, a matter for European countries to decide. But in my opinion, this would be a lot of repetition of the same things. If you want to do that, I wish you the best of luck. Because you would have to find men and women in uniform on top of what already exists, and that would make things more complicated."

Emphasizing that doing so while NATO and EU cooperation already exists would mean a division of power, Rutte added, "I think Putin would love that."

"I think Trump is very important for NATO"

When asked about his relationship with US President Donald Trump, Rutte said, "I know I am upsetting many of you with what I am saying, but I think President Trump is doing a lot of good work. That is my opinion. Because as I said in Davos, the fact that all NATO countries would meet the 2 percent target by the end of 2025 would never, ever have happened without Trump. Do you really think Spain, Italy, Belgium, and Canada would have decided to go from 1.5 percent to 2 percent? Do you believe Italy would have spent 10 billion more on defense at the beginning of the year without President Trump? That was not possible and would never have happened. Could the 5 percent commitment in The Hague have been reached without President Trump? Never. That is why I think Trump is very important for NATO."

Rutte stated that there has been an issue within NATO regarding Europe not carrying its fair share of the burden, which has been a point of contention since the era of former US President Dwight Eisenhower, but that with this being resolved, Trump's commitment to NATO is absolute. In this context, referring to Europe's plans to increase defense spending, Rutte said, "The biggest example of this is Germany. It spent 70 billion on defense in 2021. It will spend 160 billion in 2029, which is 90 billion more. By 2029, it will reach 3.5 percent in core defense spending as part of the 5 percent target. This means Germany, the second-largest economy in NATO, is leading the way. This is extremely critical and a very good example for others."

"Those who think Europe can defend itself without the US, let them keep dreaming"

The NATO Secretary General said, "If anyone here thinks that the European Union or Europe can defend itself without the US, keep dreaming. You cannot. We cannot. We need each other."

Stating that the US also needs NATO and that discussions regarding the Arctic region are clear evidence of this, Rutte said, "They need a secure Arctic. They need to secure the Atlantic and Europe as well. The US has as much of a strong interest in being in NATO as Canada and its European allies."

"You would lose the US nuclear umbrella"

Rutte said, "But let me say this for Europe. If you really want to go it alone, forget about doing it with 5 percent of GDP. That rate would be 10 percent. You would have to build your own nuclear capability, which would cost billions of euros. You would lose these. In that scenario, you would lose the ultimate guarantee of our freedom, which is the US nuclear umbrella. So, good luck."

"Iran is not an issue that NATO will be directly involved in"

Responding to a parliamentarian who demanded that NATO directly target the Iranian regime, Rutte said, "As NATO, we are only concerned with Iran in the context of its cooperation with North Korea, Russia, and China. But as for the current situation within Iran itself, of course, we are extremely concerned about it. We all are, but this is not an issue that NATO will be directly involved in."

"There is no consensus on Ukraine"

In response to a question regarding NATO enlargement, Rutte said, "Of course, every country in the Euro-Atlantic region can apply for membership, but this requires the consensus of 32 countries. As I have mentioned before regarding Ukraine, there is currently no unanimity. However, we will continue to work with Ukraine to keep it in the strongest possible position."

News Source: 12punto