Rutte: Trump equalized defense spending between Europe and US

NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte said on Wednesday that President Donald Trump was able to equalize defense spending between Europe and the United States, calling for a much stronger alliance. “President Trump has been able to finally get done what, since Eisenhower, American presidents tried to do, which was to equalize defense spending between Europe and the United States,” Rutte said during his doorstep remarks ahead of the Ankara summit. He stressed the need for a much stronger Europe within the alliance, pointing to “NATO 3.0.”

Implementation and deterrence

Rutte said the last summit in The Hague was about planning and targeting, but this summit is about implementation and getting it done. He reiterated the need for the alliance to be able to defend itself in the case of any possible attack and called for more defense industrial output. “This alliance of 1 billion people living in Europe, living in Canada, living in the United States … will defend every inch of our territory. You cannot win from NATO. We are defensive. We will never attack anyone. We will only defend our way of life, our democracies, our territory. So don’t fool with us, don’t play with us,” he said.

Iran, Arctic, and US commitment

Rutte said he expects allies to discuss Iran and “reconfirm that Iran should never ever get its hands on a nuclear capability,” while stressing the significance of freedom of navigation in the Strait of Hormuz. Asked about recent US strikes on Iran, he said they were “absolutely necessary.” He also said allies should make sure China and Russia do not gain access to the Arctic, and reaffirmed that the US commitment to NATO remains solid despite Trump’s renewed calls to take over Greenland. “The commitment is there, no doubt. Also, because NATO is there, it’s in the US interest to prevent, for example, the submarines of Russia to end up on the shores of the United States,” he said.