NATO chief Mark Rutte says tensions between Europe and the United States over trade issues under President Donald Trump will not affect the alliance’s collective deterrence.
Speaking to reporters in Brussels on Monday, Rutte also dismissed any notion that Europe could abandon its security relationship with the US. NATO’s secretary-general said a European defence strategy without Washington would be a “silly thought”.
“We have to stay connected,” Rutte told reporters, citing geopolitical “threats”, including Russia.
“The best thing the West can do is to stay united, and I know that the same thinking is still prevalent in the US, including in the White House,” he added.
Rutte made the comments after Trump has often accused Washington’s NATO partners of not spending enough on defence and threatened not to protect them in case of attack.
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Many European members of the bloc have recently moved to raise their defence spending to 2 percent of their gross domestic products (GDPs), NATO’s current minimum recommendation. However, Trump demanded an enormous hike last month, calling for spending of 5 percent of their GDPs.
While Rutte said European defence without the US “will not work”, he stressed that Trump-instigated trade tensions “will not get in the way of our collective determination to keep our deterrence strong”.
“There are always issues between allies. It is never always tranquil and happy going,” Rutte said.
Trump has rocked some of Washington’s closest partners by announcing 25 percent tariffs on imports from fellow NATO member Canada and threatening to do the same to the European Union.
Source: Al Jazeera
