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Mark Rutte

The latest news on Mark Rutte, Dutch politician and Secretary General of NATO, including global politics and diplomacy news.

Born

14 Feb 1967

Industry

Politics

Job Title

Politician

Nato headquarters in Brussels. Photo: AP

United States

US and Nato in frustrating ‘marriage crisis’, Belgian defence minister says

Theo Francken believed the strained transatlantic relationship should remain ‘united’, although sometimes Nato ‘can be a paper tiger’.

29 Apr 2026 - 11:42AMvideocam

Nato

Nato considers end to annual summits to shield alliance from Trump

28 Apr 2026 - 5:51PM

US, Israel war on Iran

Europe tests ‘third way’ on Hormuz without the US, Israel and Iran. Will it work?

17 Apr 2026 - 12:26PMvideocam

Nato

What Trump’s Iran war ‘loyalty test’ may mean for Nato’s long-standing alliance

Transatlantic allies’ refusal to back the Iran war fuels latest Trump outburst after meeting with Nato chief Mark Rutte.

10 Apr 2026 - 7:25AMvideocam

US President Donald Trump meets Nato Secretary General Mark Rutte in Davos, Switzerland, in January. The pair held a closed-door meeting in the White House on April 8. Photo: AFP

United States

Trump lauds Beijing role in Iran truce, but clouds ceasefire with tariff threat

Markets rise on fragile pause in fighting, as Tehran keeps Hormuz shut and warns it may abandon deal if Israeli strikes on Lebanon continue.

9 Apr 2026 - 5:11AMvideocam

US-EU relations

‘Paper tiger’: what’s behind Trump’s renewed Greenland threat?

Europe is likely to stay neutral in the Iran war and could even benefit if America fares poorly in its military campaign, analyst says.

7 Apr 2026 - 11:02PMvideocam

Nato

Opinion | In denying Trump airspace, Europe has drawn a line for Nato

Growing European defiance to US demands raises a critical question: is Nato a club of equals or a mechanism for enforcing one nation’s agenda?

7 Apr 2026 - 8:07PMvideocam

Ukraine war

Ukraine’s Zelensky warns of ‘brothers in hatred’ as Iran war steals focus

Ukrainian leader visits London as the Middle East conflict overshadows the four-year war against Russia.

18 Mar 2026 - 4:41PM

US, Israel war on Iran

Europe divided, on edge as US-Israel strikes on Iran ripple across the continent

Cyprus hit, oil prices jump and EU leaders clash over legality, regime change and Washington’s role in the widening conflict.

3 Mar 2026 - 6:05AMvideocam

Donald Trump

Trump sends ‘great’ hospital boat to treat ‘sick’ people in Greenland

The move comes amid simmering US-Denmark tensions over the mineral-rich Arctic territory.

22 Feb 2026 - 12:00PMvideocam

Servicemen attend the Arctic basic training in Kangerlussuaq, Greenland, on Friday. Photo: Ritzau Scanpix via AP

My Take

My Take | China and the UN are not the problem in Ukraine and Palestine – the West is

Europe and America’s warmongering and genocide-enabling are at the roots of the world’s most dangerous geopolitical flashpoints.

15 Feb 2026 - 10:34PM

UN Special Rapporteur for the occupied Palestinian territories Francesca Albanese. Photo: AFP

Nato

Nato launches Arctic Sentry mission to ease Greenland tensions with Trump

The mission brings efforts by various alliance members under a single command, as Russia and China take a greater interest in the region.

12 Feb 2026 - 12:44AM

Nato

Nato starts planning for Arctic military mission amid Greenland row with Trump

The defence alliance has said it would boost its presence in the region after the US president’s repeated threats to take over the island.

4 Feb 2026 - 2:02AMvideocam

Ukraine war

Ukraine left freezing as Russia bombs energy grid before peace talks

Largest barrage of the year hits Kyiv and Kharkiv, damaging power plants. Zelensky says Moscow chose terror over diplomacy as talks loom.

3 Feb 2026 - 6:02PM

Emergency services personnel battle to extinguish a blaze at a multi-storey residential building after a Russian attack in Kyiv, Ukraine, on Tuesday. Photo: Ukrainian Emergency Service/AP

My Take

My Take | Trump threatens Greenland but Nato chief says China is the real threat

EU and Nato ‘leaders’ can continue to act slavishly before the Americans. They are just making themselves irrelevant and despised.

25 Jan 2026 - 6:51PM

US President Donald Trump (right) speaks with Nato’s secretary-general Mark Rutte during a meeting at the World Economic Forum in Davos on Wednesday. Photo: AFP

Ukraine war

US-brokered Ukraine peace talks end with no deal, as Russian strikes continue

More talks are expected, however, with a US official saying ‘I don’t think we’re so far away’ from a Putin-Zelensky meeting.

25 Jan 2026 - 4:31AM

Donald Trump

Greenland PM says he doesn’t know what’s in deal reached with Trump

Locals, meanwhile, are fed up with negotiations done over their heads after the US president’s meeting with Nato’s chief.

23 Jan 2026 - 12:07PMvideocam

World Economic Forum (WEF) in Davos

Sidestepping Greenland, Nato chief urges Arctic unity to counter China, Russia

At Davos, Mark Rutte calls for Nato to ‘defend the Arctic region’ but says Ukraine should be top priority for security alliance.

21 Jan 2026 - 9:40PM

Greenland

Europe prepares retaliation over Trump’s Greenland ultimatum

Eight European countries consider US$108 billion retaliation and ‘anti-coercion’ tools after Trump vows tariffs on Europe over Arctic island.

19 Jan 2026 - 4:00PM

Greenland

Greenland says ‘we choose Denmark’, as talks with Trump officials loom

The island would rather remain Danish than be taken over by the US, its leader says, despite ongoing discussions about independence.

14 Jan 2026 - 3:08AMvideocam

Greenland

Greenland says it should be defended by Nato, rejects any US takeover

The Arctic island’s government insists that security must happen through the Western alliance, not via US ownership.

13 Jan 2026 - 12:20PM

A member of the French armed forces trains as part of a combined nations military drill in Kangerlussuaq, Greenland, in September. Photo: Reuters

Ukraine war

Opinion | Europe risks a self-fulfilling prophecy of war with Russia

The EU should secure its future through fair contributions to Nato and a lucrative transatlantic defence market, not conflict with Moscow.

29 Dec 2025 - 8:30PMvideocam

European Union

As I see it | Russia will end the European Union, not the other way around

The end of history is more history, as Hegel might have said, with the postmodern unified EU potentially reverting back to rival modern states.

17 Dec 2025 - 8:16AMvideocam

Ukraine war

Europe fears hidden Russian threat in Trump-backed Ukraine peace plan

Europe worries a US plan for a demilitarised zone in the Donbas region may help Moscow to reinvade Kyiv.

14 Dec 2025 - 10:39AMvideocam

China-Japan relations

Donald Trump left facing ‘dilemma’ as China-Japan spat worsens: analyst

White House navigates backing long-time ally Japan while preserving trade truce with China amid fraying ties between the Asian neighbours.

12 Dec 2025 - 12:29AMvideocam

Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi gestures as US President Donald Trump delivers a speech during their visit to the aircraft carrier USS George Washington in Yokosuka, Japan, on October 28. Photo: AP

Ukraine war

European allies back Ukraine’s Zelensky after Trump criticism

Ukrainian president met leaders in London and Brussels, declaring that ceding territory to Russia - a central point of the US proposal - was impossible.

9 Dec 2025 - 9:16AM

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky with Britain’s Prime Minister Keir Starmer, French President Emmanuel Macron and German Chancellor Friedrich Merz on the doorstep of 10 Downing Street in London. Photo: AP

Nato

‘Not a withdrawal’: US scales back troop presence on Nato border

US will reduce its troop presence on Europe’s eastern border with Ukraine to focus on the Indo-Pacific, but reaffirms its commitment to Nato.

30 Oct 2025 - 12:31AMvideocam

Ukraine war

Zelensky meets European leaders for talks on military aid for Ukraine

The talks aim to step up pressure on Russia, adding momentum to more sanctions against Moscow’s aggression that take aim at its vital oil and gas export earnings.

24 Oct 2025 - 11:30PMvideocam

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Mark Rutte

US and Nato in frustrating ‘marriage crisis’, Belgian defence minister says

Theo Francken believed the strained transatlantic relationship should remain ‘united’, although sometimes Nato ‘can be a paper tiger’.

Nato considers end to annual summits to shield alliance from Trump

Europe tests ‘third way’ on Hormuz without the US, Israel and Iran. Will it work?

What Trump’s Iran war ‘loyalty test’ may mean for Nato’s long-standing alliance

Transatlantic allies’ refusal to back the Iran war fuels latest Trump outburst after meeting with Nato chief Mark Rutte.

Trump lauds Beijing role in Iran truce, but clouds ceasefire with tariff threat

Markets rise on fragile pause in fighting, as Tehran keeps Hormuz shut and warns it may abandon deal if Israeli strikes on Lebanon continue.

‘Paper tiger’: what’s behind Trump’s renewed Greenland threat?

Europe is likely to stay neutral in the Iran war and could even benefit if America fares poorly in its military campaign, analyst says.

.css-1pcrwvc{color:#2aa191;}Opinion | In denying Trump airspace, Europe has drawn a line for Nato

Growing European defiance to US demands raises a critical question: is Nato a club of equals or a mechanism for enforcing one nation’s agenda?

Ukraine’s Zelensky warns of ‘brothers in hatred’ as Iran war steals focus

Ukrainian leader visits London as the Middle East conflict overshadows the four-year war against Russia.

Europe divided, on edge as US-Israel strikes on Iran ripple across the continent

Cyprus hit, oil prices jump and EU leaders clash over legality, regime change and Washington’s role in the widening conflict.

Trump sends ‘great’ hospital boat to treat ‘sick’ people in Greenland

The move comes amid simmering US-Denmark tensions over the mineral-rich Arctic territory.

My Take | China and the UN are not the problem in Ukraine and Palestine – the West is

Europe and America’s warmongering and genocide-enabling are at the roots of the world’s most dangerous geopolitical flashpoints.

Nato launches Arctic Sentry mission to ease Greenland tensions with Trump

The mission brings efforts by various alliance members under a single command, as Russia and China take a greater interest in the region.

Nato starts planning for Arctic military mission amid Greenland row with Trump

The defence alliance has said it would boost its presence in the region after the US president’s repeated threats to take over the island.

Ukraine left freezing as Russia bombs energy grid before peace talks

Largest barrage of the year hits Kyiv and Kharkiv, damaging power plants. Zelensky says Moscow chose terror over diplomacy as talks loom.

My Take | Trump threatens Greenland but Nato chief says China is the real threat

EU and Nato ‘leaders’ can continue to act slavishly before the Americans. They are just making themselves irrelevant and despised.

US-brokered Ukraine peace talks end with no deal, as Russian strikes continue

More talks are expected, however, with a US official saying ‘I don’t think we’re so far away’ from a Putin-Zelensky meeting.

Greenland PM says he doesn’t know what’s in deal reached with Trump

Locals, meanwhile, are fed up with negotiations done over their heads after the US president’s meeting with Nato’s chief.

Sidestepping Greenland, Nato chief urges Arctic unity to counter China, Russia

At Davos, Mark Rutte calls for Nato to ‘defend the Arctic region’ but says Ukraine should be top priority for security alliance.

Europe prepares retaliation over Trump’s Greenland ultimatum

Eight European countries consider US$108 billion retaliation and ‘anti-coercion’ tools after Trump vows tariffs on Europe over Arctic island.

Greenland says ‘we choose Denmark’, as talks with Trump officials loom

The island would rather remain Danish than be taken over by the US, its leader says, despite ongoing discussions about independence.

Greenland says it should be defended by Nato, rejects any US takeover

The Arctic island’s government insists that security must happen through the Western alliance, not via US ownership.

Opinion | Europe risks a self-fulfilling prophecy of war with Russia

The EU should secure its future through fair contributions to Nato and a lucrative transatlantic defence market, not conflict with Moscow.

As I see it | Russia will end the European Union, not the other way around

The end of history is more history, as Hegel might have said, with the postmodern unified EU potentially reverting back to rival modern states.

Europe fears hidden Russian threat in Trump-backed Ukraine peace plan

Europe worries a US plan for a demilitarised zone in the Donbas region may help Moscow to reinvade Kyiv.

Donald Trump left facing ‘dilemma’ as China-Japan spat worsens: analyst

White House navigates backing long-time ally Japan while preserving trade truce with China amid fraying ties between the Asian neighbours.

European allies back Ukraine’s Zelensky after Trump criticism

Ukrainian president met leaders in London and Brussels, declaring that ceding territory to Russia - a central point of the US proposal - was impossible.

‘Not a withdrawal’: US scales back troop presence on Nato border

US will reduce its troop presence on Europe’s eastern border with Ukraine to focus on the Indo-Pacific, but reaffirms its commitment to Nato.

Zelensky meets European leaders for talks on military aid for Ukraine

The talks aim to step up pressure on Russia, adding momentum to more sanctions against Moscow’s aggression that take aim at its vital oil and gas export earnings.

Opinion | In denying Trump airspace, Europe has drawn a line for Nato