Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte has rejected suggestions that the United States will quit the NATO alliance.
“I don’t see the US leaving NATO,” Rutte said in an interview with the Sunday edition of Germany’s Die Welt. He also said he does not doubt continued US nuclear protection for Europe. “The American nuclear umbrella is the ultimate guarantor of security here in Europe. And I am convinced that it will remain so,” he added.
What has Trump said about leaving NATO?
US President Donald Trump’s recent criticism of NATO has raised concerns that Washington might withdraw from the 32-member transatlantic alliance. Asked whether he would reconsider US membership after the Iran war, Trump told Britain’s The Telegraph: “Oh yes, I would say [it’s] beyond reconsideration. I was never swayed by NATO. I always knew they were a paper tiger, and (Russian President Vladimir) Putin knows that too, by the way.”
However, a US president would need the approval of a two-thirds Senate majority to pull the United States out of NATO — a prospect widely seen as unlikely.
Rutte says he understands Trump’s frustration with NATO
“President Trump is clearly disappointed with some NATO members,” Rutte told Die Welt, adding, “I understand his frustration.” He reiterated similar remarks after his April 8 White House meeting with Trump, held after the two-week ceasefire between the US and Iran. “He is clearly disappointed with many NATO allies, and I can see his point,” Rutte told CNN. “This was a very frank, very open discussion, but also a discussion between two good friends,” he said. In a post on Truth Social after the meeting, Trump wrote in capital letters that “NATO wasn’t there when we needed them, and they won’t be there if we need them again.”
Rutte calls for stronger defense industry in Europe
Rutte said he used the White House meeting to outline the benefits Washington gains from the alliance and argued that Europe should assume a larger role within NATO. “Europe wants to take on a larger role in NATO. That’s good news. It’s a development from an unhealthy dependency to a transatlantic alliance based on true partnership,” he said. He noted that Europeans and Canadians are already increasing their contributions and singled out Germany as setting an example. Rutte said he believes the alliance will strengthen if the trend continues, and that a stronger NATO would make the world safer for everyone.
Edited by: Saim Dušan Inayatullah