In a recent interview with the New York Times, NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte praised President Trump’s role in pushing NATO members to raise defense spending. Despite growing concerns about differing values within NATO, Rutte insisted that the alliance remains united.
“I find it a bit unfair that we are constantly questioning the U.S.,” he said, adding that “Without Trump, we would never, ever, ever have been able to achieve agreement on this,” Rutte said, referring to the landmark pledge for NATO nations to spend 5 percent of their GDP on defense by 2035, a big jump from the current 2 percent goal.
Rutte argued that U.S. demands for Europe to spend more are fair and long overdue.
“The Europeans were not paying enough. So [Trump] has a big point, and luckily we solved it,” he added.
On broader security challenges, Rutte stressed that higher spending is essential to counter Russia’s military buildup and global instability involving North Korea, Iran, and China.
Regarding Ukraine, Rutte defended shifting more responsibility for military aid to Europe while emphasizing that both NATO and the U.S. recognize Ukraine’s importance for European and global security.
