The secretary general of the I’LL TAKE, Mark Ruttehas admitted that there are tensions between the partners of the Atlantic Alliance and that all of them are aware of the “profound change” that the organization is going through with the “leadership” of Donald Trumpalthough he has defended that the European allies “almost without exception” are doing “everything they USA is asking” for the guerra in Middle East.
This was stated in a speech before participating in a debate forum organized by the Presidential Foundation. Ronald Reaganheld in Washington DC, in which the head of NATO has once again confirmed that there is a “change in mentality” among the European allies, who now understand the need to move from “an unhealthy codependency” to a transatlantic alliance “based on a true partnership” with USA.
“This alliance does not pretend that nothing is happening (…). The allies recognize, and I recognize, that we are in a period of profound change in the Transatlantic Alliance,” Rutte indicated in his first public statements after Trump threatened to leave NATO for not having been there when he needed it during his offensive against Iran.
For the former Prime Minister of the Netherlands, “some allies were a little slow” when Washington required logistical support in Iran, “to put it mildly.” In fairness, he continued, “they were also somewhat surprised” because the Trump Administration He did not warn them of the joint offensive launched with Israel on February 28.
Despite this, Rutte has maintained that what he sees today is that the European allies “are now providing a massive amount of support” in logistics or in the use of their bases. “Almost without exception, allies are doing everything the United States is asking for,” he added.
He has given as an example that allies are collaborating to prevent Iran from obtaining a nuclear weapon and reduce its ability to destabilize. Among them, he has highlighted United Kingdom for “leading a coalition to guarantee free navigation in the Strait of Hormuz“, and other European allies for leading “operations on the eastern flank, the Baltic and the Arctic.”
“When a plane Russian crossed Estonian airspace, European planes intercepted it. and when drones Russians entered Poland, it was a Dutch F-35 that shot them down. An alliance cannot be a one-way street. It was not when American, European and Canadian troops fought together in Afghanistan. And today they continue training and deploying together,” he added.
“No turning back” in spending
The head of the Atlantic Alliance has also recalled that since the NATO summit in The Hague last year, where members agreed to allocate 5% of their GDP to defense spending, “Europe is assuming a greater and fairer share of the task of providing for its conventional defense.”
“There will be no going back from that, nor should there be,” indicated the Dutch politician, who has expressed confidence that “a stronger Europe and a stronger NATO” will not take for granted the American leadership that, in his opinion, was an assumption of the European countries after the end of the Cold War, when “convinced that peace was permanent”, it did not require the investment in defense “which is now known to be essential.”
Later, after being asked during the debate forum about his conversation this Wednesday at the White House with the president of the United States, Rutte limited himself to saying that it was a “sincere, frank and open” exchange. “And that is positive, because we are among friends. The president and I like us,” he indicated.
He also stated that he perceived Trump’s “disappointment” over the fact that “too many allies were not with him,” to which Rutte explained that “the vast majority of Europeans have done what the United States asked of them” even though “sometimes it takes a little time.”
“In Europe we have coalitions. Sometimes we have to manage internal politics. Sometimes it takes a couple of days. But then we align,” he revealed from his conversation with the American president, to whom he also told that “NATO is there” to protect Europeans, “but also to protect the United States.”
For the United States to be secure, in the vision of the NATO chief, “a secure Europe” and also a secure Arctic and Atlantic are also needed, “because otherwise Russia and others could pose a threat.”
