Stop worrying about US and carry on, Nato chief tells Europe and Canada
Mark Rutte says the Americans are ‘with us’ and other bloc members need to focus on their military investment plans
Addressing the Nato Public Forum in The Hague, an event on the sidelines of the Nato Summit, Mark Rutte, the alliance’s secretary general, said he had been questioned many times since January about the reliability of the United States as an ally.
Asked on Tuesday whether the US was still with Nato, Rutte said “yes, they are” and that the US president and his senior officials had a total commitment to the alliance – albeit one that “comes with an expectation.”
Trump has complained repeatedly about Nato since his first term between 2017 and 2021, and has threatened to withhold support for the defence of allies that he believes are not spending enough on defence.
Responding to reporters aboard Air Force One en route to the Nato Summit, Trump said that the US commitment to Article 5, which states that an armed attack against one or more of Nato members shall be considered an attack against them all, would “depend on the definition”.