NATO chief appeals for unity as Europe builds its armies and the US eyes
security threats elsewhere
[March 27, 2025]
By VANESSA GERA and LORNE COOK
WARSAW, Poland (AP) — NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte appealed for
unity on Wednesday as European nations scale up their armed forces and
defense industries after the United States warned that Europe must take
care of its own security in future.
Trust between the 32 member countries is at a new low. NATO was formed
76 years ago to provide stability in Europe; a guarantee underwritten by
the United States. But the Trump administration says America’s security
priorities now lie in Asia and on its own borders.
“Let me be absolutely clear, this is not the time to go it alone. Not
for Europe or North America,” Rutte said in a speech in Warsaw. “The
global security challenges are too great for any of us to face on our
own.”
Rutte said that “there is no alternative to NATO” even as some allies
worry about the U.S. commitment to the organization’s central principle
that an attack on one ally must be considered an attack on them all,
while Washington demands that European countries stop free-riding on its
massive military budget.
His warning comes as Europe tries to wean itself off its security
dependence on the United States, just as it reduced its reliance on
Russian energy after President Vladimir Putin ordered his troops into
Ukraine three years ago, amid a drive to buy more European military
equipment.
“Yes, Europe needs to know that Uncle Sam still has our back, but
America also needs to know that its NATO allies will step up and play
their full part, without restrictions and without capability gaps,"
Rutte said. "It’s only fair. Reassurance is a two-way street.”
His comments come on the eve of a visit to Greenland by U.S. Vice
President JD Vance. President Donald Trump has not ruled out the use of
military force to seize control of Greenland, a semi-autonomous
territory belonging to NATO and European Union member Denmark and this
has deeply unsettled many allies.
Still, Rutte said he is “absolutely confident” about the U.S. commitment
to NATO's Article 5 security guarantee. He added that “nothing can
replace America’s nuclear umbrella, the ultimate guarantor of our
security.” Britain and France are also nuclear powers but their arsenals
are tiny by comparison.
Asked on March 13 whether U.S. forces would defend an ally which came
under attack from Russia, Trump said: “We’ll make sure it doesn’t
happen.” Trump also said that “you have to keep NATO strong. You have to
keep it relevant.”
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NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte speaks during his visit to the SGH
Warsaw School of Economics in Warsaw, Poland, Wednesday, March 26,
2025. (AP Photo/Czarek Sokolowski)
Rutte said he believes that when Trump and his NATO counterparts
meet for a summit in the Netherlands in June, "we will begin a new
chapter for our transatlantic alliance where we build a stronger,
fairer and more lethal NATO to face a more dangerous world.”
He said that ambitious new spending targets would be set.
Twenty-three NATO member countries are estimated to be meeting the
current guideline of more than 2% of their gross domestic product on
national defense budgets. Rutte has said that the new target would
be “well north of 3%.”
Earlier on Wednesday, at talks with Polish Prime Minister Donald
Tusk, Rutte warned Russia that the alliance would always stand by
Poland or any other member and that its reaction to an attack would
be “devastating.”
Tusk said it was important to be prepared for any outcome of talks
between Russia and the United States aimed at ending t he 3-year-old
war in Ukraine.
NATO members along its eastern flank, particularly Poland and the
Baltic states, are extremely worried that the talks could end with a
settlement that is favorable to Russia. They fear such an outcome
would allow Putin to rebuild his country's forces and threaten other
countries in the region in the coming years.
Rutte said that neither Putin nor anyone else should assume they
could get away with something like that.
“If anyone were to miscalculate and think they can get away with an
attack on Poland or on any other ally, they will be met with the
full force of this fierce alliance. Our reaction will be
devastating. This has to be very clear to Vladimir Vladimirovich
Putin and anyone else who wants to attack us," Rutte said.
___
Cook reported from Brussels.
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