Rutte criticizes the idea of creating a “European NATO”
Kyiv • UNN
NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte said that the creation of a separate European defense alliance would require 8-10% of GDP and 15-20 years. Instead, he promised to deepen cooperation between NATO and the EU.
NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte sharply criticized the idea of creating a separate European defense alliance, but promised to work with European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen on "closer coordination between NATO and the EU." He said this during a discussion in the European Parliament's Committee on Foreign Affairs and Security, UNN reports with reference to Radio Liberty.
"If you really want to build a European NATO, then forget about 2% of GDP (defense spending - ed.) - you will have to raise spending to 8-9 or 10%. You will have to build your own nuclear capability, and it will take 15-20 years," he said in a speech to the European Parliament.
"Currently, the United States spends more than 60% of all funds spent in NATO. This means that the other 31 countries spend less than 40%, including Canada. So it's an illusion that you can build a European NATO over the next 10-15 years," the Secretary General emphasized.
Instead, Rutte emphasized the importance of deepening cooperation between NATO and the EU. According to him, "an agreement has already been reached to establish a high-level coordination group between the organizations.
"We have agreed with Ursula (Ursula von der Leyen - ed.) that if there is an issue that is not resolved in this committee, we will call each other and we will not hang up until we reach an agreement, even if it takes two full weekends and we cannot eat during that time," the NATO Secretary General insisted.
According to Rutte, such cooperation should be "successful," as she and the European Commission President are "great friends," and she, as a former German defense minister, "has a good understanding of these issues.
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The NATO Secretary General emphasized that "coordination between organizations should be simple and effective." "More coordination, but with a light touch - no heavy structures with a lot of protocols and committee meetings. Let's make it as simple as possible".
In addition, Rutte noted that peace in Ukraine can only be lasting if Ukraine negotiates from a position of strength. For this, he said, constant support and more weapons are needed to allow the country to better defend itself, a Radio Liberty correspondent reports.
Earlier, European Council President Antonio Costa invited the leaders of the EU member states to an informal summit to be held on February 3 near Brussels. The main topic of the meeting is strengthening European defense.
The aim of this summit will be "to prepare the ground for decisions that EU countries will have to make in the future, as well as to provide recommendations to the European Commission and the High Representative for the preparation of a white paper on the future of European defense." Costa noted that he "aims to return to the topic of defense at the European Council meeting in June 2025.
