Rutte: We witnessed a real change in mindset at NATO today

NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte held a press conference following the NATO Defense Ministers Meeting in Brussels, Belgium. Stating that today's discussions focused on strengthening NATO's deterrence and defense and continuing support for Ukraine, Rutte said that what he saw and heard at today's meeting was different from all the previous NATO meetings he had attended. Reminding that NATO allies committed to allocating 5% of their GDP to defense at the NATO Summit held in The Hague, Netherlands, last June, Rutte said, "There is tangible evidence that this commitment is being fulfilled. But at the same time, we witnessed a real change in mindset at NATO today. A vision of unity and a much stronger European defense within NATO."

Expressing that the urgency of the situation is understood and that countries are adjusting their defense spending accordingly, Rutte said, "Some allies, such as Denmark, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, and Poland, have already reached or exceeded our investment targets. And they did so ten years ahead of schedule. Some allies, like Germany, are on track to double their investments compared to a few years ago."

Emphasizing that NATO allies continue to support Ukraine and that this is thanks to the Priority Urgent Requirements List (PURL) initiative for Ukraine, which allows strategic American weapons needed by Ukraine to be procured with funding provided by European allies, Rutte said, "Ukraine needs more. As I told President Zelenskyy in Kyiv last week, NATO stands with Ukraine. Our security is interconnected. We all want this brutal war to end in a fair and lasting way."

"The US is fully anchored in NATO"

In response to a question at the press conference regarding US Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth not attending the meeting, Rutte said that while the US has begun to place more weight on the Indo-Pacific region, it remains "firmly anchored" to the NATO alliance. Emphasizing that the US also needs a strong European presence within NATO for its own security, Rutte said, "What we see today is a NATO where the US is fully anchored. It is also a NATO where Europe is taking more responsibility and assuming a greater leadership role with Canada. Therefore, there is a stronger transatlantic alliance in existence."

"I am confident that the flow of US equipment to Ukraine will continue"

When asked whether there is a funding shortage within the framework of the Priority Urgent Requirements List (PURL) initiative for Ukraine and whether the EU's 90 billion euro loan is being considered for this initiative, Rutte said, "I am confident that the flow of vital US equipment to Ukraine will continue."

Rutte added, "We will also find enough money to do this. Leave the question of exactly where the money will come from and which budget line it will be covered by to me. We will do our best to ensure the money is ready."

He said there is no concern about an intra-alliance crisis in NATO

When asked about the NATO alliance being on the brink of a crisis following the US's territorial demand regarding Greenland and how they would prevent this from happening again, Rutte said, "NATO is a coalition of democracies with free media. This means that discussions and disagreements can occur within NATO. We have seen this before, and I have no concerns about this." Rutte said that NATO is in a better position than it was a year or two ago.

He gave a strong message regarding the security of Bosnia and Herzegovina

When asked what he meant by his statement that a "security vacuum will not be allowed" in Bosnia and Herzegovina, Rutte said, "NATO will never accept a security vacuum in Bosnia and Herzegovina. I am leaving the meaning of this a bit vague because they will understand what I mean. I also guarantee that this is real and positive."

"More European NATO" message

When asked for his comment on German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius's remarks that NATO should become "more European," Rutte said, "He is right. We need a NATO with more European leadership. This means Europeans spending more on defense and taking more responsibility."

Rutte stated, "North America and Europe will always stay together. However, Europeans will take more responsibility in this part of NATO."

News Source: 12punto