NATO chief Rutte says EU does not need to break from US on defence

Brussels (dpa) – NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte does not believe the European Union need to become fully independent of the United States in defence matters, despite the current course of US President Donald Trump‘s administration.

The United States expects Europe to take on more responsibility and spend more money on defence, Rutte told dpa in a recent interview.

“I’m absolutely convinced that the US is completely invested [in] NATO. There’s no doubt. There was one big expectation. Indeed, us spending more, Europe taking more responsibility,” Rutte said. Ultimately, however, it was about doing this alongside the US, he said.

The former Dutch prime minister pointed to the June NATO summit in The Hague, where all allies agreed to raise defence-related spending to 5 percent of gross domestic product (GDP) by 2035.

“I think it is still one of the biggest foreign policy victories of President Trump, the 5 percent, the clear commitment to produce more,” Rutte said.

German MEP Manfred Weber, leader of the conservative European People’s Party (EPP), the largest group in the European Parliament, has called for the EU to evolve into a “European NATO,” arguing that the U.S. can no longer be relied upon without restriction.

While praising Weber, Rutte said he held a different view. “Let’s not forget that when it comes to Europe (and) NATO, there is more than the EU,” Rutte said.

While acknowledging the EU’s importance, Rutte noted that the 23 EU countries within NATO account for only about a quarter of the alliance’s total economic output.

“Seventy-five percent is still outside the EU,” he said, referring to NATO members such as the UK, Norway, Canada and the U.S. (December 26)