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NATO main Mark Rutte warned connected Monday (January 27, 2026) that Europe cannot support itself without the United States, successful the look of calls for the continent to basal connected its ain feet aft tensions implicit Greenland.
U.S. President Donald Trump roiled the transatlantic confederation by threatening to prehend the autonomous Danish territory — earlier backing disconnected aft talks with Mr. Rutte past week.
The diplomatic situation gave caller momentum to those advocating for Europe to instrumentality a tougher enactment against Mr. Trump and interruption its subject reliance connected Washington.
“If anyone thinks present again, that the European Union, oregon Europe arsenic a whole, tin support itself without the U.S. — support connected dreaming. You can’t,” Mr. Rutte told lawmakers astatine the European Parliament.
He said that EU countries would person to treble defence spending from the 5% NATO people agreed past twelvemonth to 10% and walk “billions and billions” connected gathering atomic arms.
“You would suffer the eventual guarantor of our freedom, which is the U.S. atomic umbrella,” the erstwhile Dutch Prime Minister said. “So hey, bully luck.”
France’s Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot deed backmost astatine the NATO chief’s statements, posting connected X connected Monday (January 27, 2026) evening that “Europeans tin and indispensable instrumentality work for their ain security”.
Mr. Rutte insisted that U.S. committedness to NATO’s Article Five communal defence clause remained “total”, but that the United States expected European countries to support spending much connected their militaries.
“They request a unafraid Euro-Atlantic, and they besides request a unafraid Europe. So the U.S. has each involvement successful NATO,” helium said.
The NATO caput reiterated his repeated praise for Mr. Trump for pressuring reluctant European allies to measurement up defence spending.
He besides appeared to sound backmost a proposition floated by the EU’s defence commissioner Andrius Kubilius earlier this period for a imaginable European defence unit that could regenerate U.S. troops connected the continent.
“It volition marque things much complicated. I deliberation (Russian President Vladimir) Putin volition emotion it. So deliberation again,” Mr. Rutte said.
On Greenland, Rutte said helium had agreed with Mr. Trump that NATO would “take much work for the defence of the Arctic”, but it was up to Greenlandic and Danish authorities to negociate implicit U.S. beingness connected the island.
“I person nary mandate to negociate connected behalf of Denmark, truthful I didn’t, and I volition not,” helium said.
Mr. Rutte reiterated that helium had stressed to Mr. Trump the outgo paid by NATO allies successful Afghanistan aft the U.S. person caused outrage by playing down their contribution.
“For each 2 American soldiers who paid the eventual price, 1 worker of an state oregon a partner, a NATO state oregon a spouse country, did not instrumentality home,” helium said.
“I cognize that America greatly appreciates each the efforts.”
