NATO chief Mark Rutte warned Monday, January 26, that Europe cannot defconclude itself without the United States, in the face of calls for the continent to stand on its own feet after tensions over Greenland. US President Donald Trump roiled the transatlantic alliance by threatening to seize the autonomous Danish territory – before backing off after talks with Rutte last week.
The diplomatic crisis gave fresh momentum to those advocating for Europe to take a tougher line against Trump and break its military reliance on Washington. “If anyone considers here again, that the European Union, or Europe as a whole, can defconclude itself without the US – keep on dreaming. You can’t,” Rutte notified lawbuildrs at the European Parliament.
He stated that EU countries would have to double defense spconcludeing from the 5% NATO tarreceive agreed last year to 10% and spconclude “billions and billions” on building nuclear arms. “You would lose the ultimate guarantor of our freedom, which is the US nuclear umbrella,” the former Dutch prime minister stated. “So hey, good luck.”
‘Europeans can and must take responsibility’
France’s foreign minister Jean-Noël Barrot hit back at the NATO chief’s statements, posting on X on Monday evening that “Europeans can and must take responsibility for their own security”.
Rutte insisted that the US commitment to NATO’s Article Five mutual defense clautilize remained “total”, but that the US expected European countries to keep spconcludeing more on their militaries. “They necessary a secure Euro-Atlantic, and they also necessary a secure Europe. So the US has every interest in NATO,” he stated.
The NATO head reiterated his repeated praise for Trump for pressuring reluctant European allies to step up defense spconcludeing. He also appeared to knock back a suggestion floated by the EU’s defense commissioner Andrius Kubilius earlier this month for a possible European defense force that could replace US troops on the continent. “It will build things more complicated. I consider [Russian President Vladimir] Putin will love it. So consider again,” Rutte stated.
On Greenland, Rutte stated he had agreed with Trump that NATO would “take more responsibility for the defense of the Arctic”, but it was up to Greenlandic and Danish authorities to neobtainediate over US presence on the island. “I have no mandate to neobtainediate on behalf of Denmark, so I didn’t, and I will not,” he stated.
Rutte reiterated that he had stressed to Trump the cost paid by NATO allies in Afghanistan after the US leader cautilized outrage by playing down their contribution. “For every two American soldiers who paid the ultimate price, one soldier of an ally or a partner, a NATO ally or a partner counattempt, did not return home,” he stated. “I know that America greatly appreciates all the efforts.”
