Rutte: ‘The US isn’t tearing NATO apart; it’s right to restore the balance’

“Last year, the allies decided to reach 5 per cent of GDP by 2035, and after just one year we are already seeing transformative progress within the alliance: I now expect the capitals to present clear and credible plans to meet this target.” This was stated by the Secretary-General of NATO Mark Rutte during a press conference the day before the Ankara summit. “The initial signs are impressive; Europeans and Canada are already spending an average of 4 per cent on defence and security, and if we look at 2025 and 2026 combined, they have spent an additional 280 billion dollars,” added Rutte, who also indicated that there would be military production contracts worth “billions of dollars” to strengthen the Alliance’s defence capabilities: “We will announce new contracts worth tens of billions of dollars that will provide us with essential equipment for deterrence and defence.”

Rutte pointed out that the US “is strongly encouraging – and I use the term ‘encouraging’ even though it is probably a rather weak term – its allies to increase defence spending to 5 per cent of GDP. The increase in defence spending has been driven by Russia and the war in Ukraine, but it is also partly due to pressure from the United States; this is a great help to the US President in this regard’. The NATO Secretary-General specifically cited the increase in military spending in countries ‘such as Spain, Italia, Belgium and Canada, which have reached 2 per cent’. ‘To a small extent, the Trump factor played a part, and I commend him for that.’ Rutte then added that ‘Europeans are stepping up their efforts en masse, in countries such as Germany and many others, and of course, if one or two countries still need convincing, we have the means to do so’.

With regard to the Russian-Ukrainian war, the NATO Secretary-General has pointed the finger at Moscow, which ‘continues to launch drone and missile attacks on Ukrainian cities: just last night, another horrific attack took place. And I want to be clear: all allies must do their part to ensure that our support for Ukraine continues to flow, because Ukraine’s security is closely linked to our own’. According to Rutte, “Putin is becoming increasingly desperate; Ukraine has been performing much better on the battlefield than Russia over the last two to three months.”

According to US President Donald Trump, speaking at the White House, “Putin wants to end the war in Ukraine; he wants it very much. Zelensky wants it too; we will discuss it at the NATO summit,” he added.

And on the subject of the United States, the NATO Secretary-General chose his words carefully and respectfully, clearing the Trump administration and Washington of any intention to ‘break up’ NATO. “Reviewing our posture and forces is a wise move; it will be done in consultation with our allies, so there is no cause for concern,” he said. In general, Rutte reiterated that it was not “healthy” for Europe to rely so heavily on the US for its defence and that the rebalancing process would make the alliance “sustainable”.