NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte emphasised on Monday the critical dependence of Europe on US military support for its defence capabilities. Speaking at the European Parliament, he stated that, in order to achieve self-sufficiency in defence, European nations would need to significantly increase their military spending, more than doubling current targets.
“If anyone thinks here … that the European Union or Europe as a whole can defend itself without the US, keep on dreaming. You can’t,” Rutte told EU lawmakers in Brussels. Europe and the United States “need each other,” he said.
Recent tensions have emerged within NATO in response to US President Donald Trump‘s renewed threats concerning the annexation of Greenland, a semiautonomous territory of NATO ally Denmark. Trump also proposed new tariffs on European countries backing Greenland, but later retracted those threats after a preliminary agreement on the mineral-rich island was reached, with Rutte’s assistance. Details of this agreement remain limited.
The 32-nation military alliance is underpinned by Article 5 of NATO’s founding Washington Treaty, a mutual defence clause that commits each member to defend an ally whose territory is under threat. During NATO’s summit in The Hague in July, European allies, except Spain, alongside Canada, agreed to meet President Trump’s request to invest the same percentage of their economic output on defence as the United States within the next decade. They committed to allocating 3.5% of their gross domestic product to core defence and an additional 1.5% to security-related infrastructure, for a total of 5% of GDP by 2035.
“If you really want to go it alone,“ Rutte said, “forget that you can ever get there with 5%. It will be 10%. You have to build up your own nuclear capability. That costs billions and billions of euros.”
France has taken a leading role in advocating for Europe to establish its “strategic autonomy.“ This call has garnered increasing support, particularly following indications from the Trump administration last year that its security priorities have shifted and that European nations would need to take greater responsibility for their own defence.
Rutte addressed lawmakers, emphasising that without the United States, Europe would lose its principal protector of freedom, explicitly referencing the US nuclear umbrella. He remarked, “So, good luck.”
Rutte’s recent conduct towards Trump has raised concerns among several member states regarding the alignment of the NATO Secretary-General’s actions with his responsibilities. This sentiment emerged in response to Rutte’s speech to MEPs, which was deemed provocative by many.
Charles Michel, the former President of the European Council and former Prime Minister of Belgium, also expressed his views regarding Rutte’s comments on the platform X.
“Dear @Markrutte_Nato, You’re wrong: Europe will defend itself. And @realDonaldTrump is not my daddy. Europe’s future requires vision, courage and leadership. Not resignation, submission and fatalism. #trumpisnotmydaddy #europeansovereignty.”
Also, Jean-Noël Barrot, the French Minister for Europe and Foreign Affairs, responded to Mark Rutte’s insulting speech.
“No, dear Mark Rutte. Europeans can and must take charge of their own security. Even the United States agrees. It is the European pillar of NATO,” Barrot posted on X.
This article used information from The Associated Press.
