The head of NATO, Mark Rutte, says trade disputes between Europe and the U.S. under Donald Trump will not diminish NATO’s defensive ability.
In Brussels on Monday, Rutte said Europe wouldn’t sever its security ties with the U.S. He derided the notion of a European defense blueprint with no U.S. involvement as “silly.”
“We need to stay connected,” Rutte said, citing security challenges such as Russia.
“The most important thing for the West is to remain united. The U.S., including the White House, I think still agrees with this,” he added.
Rutte’s remarks follow Trump’s frequent complaints that NATO allies were not investing enough in their defense. He even threatened that the U.S. would not protect them if they didn’t do more.
Over the past few years, a great many of the European members of NATO have now raised their defense budgets up to the alliance’s minimum target, which is 2% of their GDP. But Trump asked them to increase it to 5% last month.
