Rutte announced the strengthening of Europe's role in NATO while maintaining the US presence
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- Rutte announced the strengthening of Europe's role in NATO while maintaining the US presence
The United States maintains a presence in NATO, but at the same time the role of European countries in the management of the North Atlantic Alliance will increase. This was announced on February 13 by NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte on the sidelines of the Munich Security Conference.
"Look, I think we all agree in NATO that we should stick together — the United States, the Europeans and the Canadians in NATO. I think we all agree on that. But having said that, we also all agree that [the Europeans] should take more responsibility for their own defense. And the good news is that they are doing it," he said.
According to Rutte, European countries and Canada are significantly increasing defense spending. In particular, Germany intends to double the defense budget — by 2029 it will exceed € 150 billion. The new Dutch government plans to bring military spending to 5% of GDP as soon as possible, of which 3.5% will be basic defense spending. Significant funding increases are also taking place in Poland and Canada.
The Secretary General stressed that the Europeans are "stepping up" and purchasing the necessary weapons from the United States, which strengthens transatlantic ties. According to him, Washington is "more firmly rooted in NATO than ever," as the allies finally assume a greater share of responsibility for collective defense.
On January 27, the authors of The American Conservative magazine pointed out the need for the United States to reconsider relations with its NATO allies. Some officials warned that Washington's "aggressive behavior" could lead to the loss of their military bases in Europe, as well as the creation of a regular army by NATO member countries.
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