Rutte Tells Some Hard Truths—But Is Europe Listening?
The NATO chief’s remarks in Brussels drew a frosty response from European leaders, with France rejecting his claims that the continent is too weak to stand on its own.
The NATO chief’s remarks in Brussels drew a frosty response from European leaders, with France rejecting his claims that the continent is too weak to stand on its own.
Europe is “dreaming” if it thinks it can defend itself without the United States, NATO secretary-general Mark Rutte said on Monday, bluntly dismissing the EU’s long-standing ambitions for ‘strategic autonomy’ during an address to the European Parliament.
European leaders frustrated by Donald Trump’s threats to ‘take’ Greenland—including, until last week, by military force—and by his hard-line approach to the wars in Ukraine and Gaza, have for years talked up the need to reduce their dependence on Washington. Even German chancellor Friedrich Merz previously described achieving “independence from the U.S.” as an “absolute priority,” before waking up to the reality of the situation.
Rutte described the U.S. nuclear umbrella as “the ultimate guarantor of our freedom,” and wished those planning on breaking away, “Good luck.”
Most importantly, Rutte credited Trump with getting European nations to boost their defence spending to the NATO target of 2% of GDP last year, warning that any serious attempt to “go it alone” would require “billions and billions of euros” more.
Most European leaders have said nothing in response to this scolding. Those who have spoken publicly have chosen to ignore Rutte’s warning, in some cases striking a patronising tone.
French Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot said on social media: “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.”
And Muriel Domenach, France’s former ambassador to NATO, suggested “with all due respect” that “brandishing European weakness” is akin to using language “from an exhausted playbook,” which “sends the wrong message to Russia.”
Michael Curzon is a news writer for europeanconservative.com based in England’s Midlands. He is also Editor of Bournbrook Magazine, which he founded in 2019, and previously wrote for London’s Express Online. His Twitter handle is @MichaelCurzon_.
