Stop worrying about US and carry on, Nato chief tells Europe and Canada
Europe should 'stop worrying so much' about Washington breaking away from the alliance,
Nato 's chief said on Tuesday, amid US pressure on European allies to pay more for their defence.
Addressing the Nato Public Forum in The Hague, an event on the sidelines of the Nato Summit, Mark Rutte, the alliance's secretary general, said he had been questioned many times since January about the reliability of the United States as an ally.
Asked on Tuesday whether the US was still with Nato, Rutte said 'yes, they are' and that the US president and his senior officials had a total commitment to the alliance – albeit one that 'comes with an expectation.'
US President Donald Trump has been pushing for non-US partners to increase their defence spending from about 2 per cent of GDP to 5 per cent, a level that Rutte said would be agreed to during the two-day summit, which Trump is scheduled to attend.
Trump has complained repeatedly about Nato since his first term between 2017 and 2021, and has threatened to not go to the defence of allies that are not fully paying for their defence.
Rutte agreed that the Europeans and Canadians were 'not spending enough' on defence, an imbalance that was a 'huge irritant'.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
South China Morning Post
4 hours ago
- South China Morning Post
Zelensky tells Nato Chinese companies are among Russia's suppliers aiding war on Ukraine
Chinese defence companies are part of the network helping Russia sustain its war against Ukraine – a war 'crucial' to European security, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said at the Nato summit on Tuesday. Advertisement While Russia poses a long-term threat to Europe, it is not just Russia alone, Zelensky told the summit's defence industry forum, held in The Hague. Zelensky said that the continent was facing a 'network of state and non-state actors' that are 'assuring the course of aggression'. 'This network includes Russia, North Korea, the current regime in Iran, Chinese companies, and many, many schemes across the world that help produce weapons and carry out operations against our country, our people, and our Europe,' Zelensky said. 'Only together can we counter this and the best way to do it is to hit the core of this aggression hard and to break every link that connects Russia with its accomplices.' Advertisement The Ukrainian president urged Europe to increase its investment in Ukraine and joint weapons production, saying that the weapons would strengthen European defence and security systems, and that ensuring security was their 'common course'.
South China Morning Post
4 hours ago
- South China Morning Post
Trump voices approval for China's oil imports from Iran, marking US shift
US President Donald Trump voiced approval for China's oil imports from Iran , marking a notable shift from Washington's long-standing opposition to Tehran's crude exports hours after he claimed to broker a ceasefire between Iran and Israel 'China can now continue to purchase Oil from Iran. Hopefully, they will be purchasing plenty from the US, also. It was my Great Honor to make this happen!' Trump posted on social media on Tuesday. Meanwhile, Beijing's top diplomat called his counterpart in Tehran, expressing support for Iran's commitment to safeguarding 'its sovereignty and security'. China is by far the largest importer of Iranian oil, according to the US Department of State. Washington believes that China avoids American sanctions by bypassing official channels to mask the origin of Iranian-produced oil. The US Treasury Department, which enforces the sanctions, could not immediately be reached for comment. Play
South China Morning Post
6 hours ago
- South China Morning Post
Are Trump's Iran strikes a ‘wake-up call' for China on US unpredictability?
As US air strikes on Iranian nuclear facilities call into question the anti-war stance of US President Donald Trump, they may also reinforce Beijing's assumptions about the unpredictability of the US administration, according to diplomatic observers. The attacks could bolster belief in Beijing that Washington might intervene in regional conflicts, prompting stronger strategic preparations in the South China Sea and the Taiwan Strait, they added. During his election campaign, Trump repeatedly pitched himself as an anti-war president and a peace broker, promising to put 'America first' by ending US involvement in risky and expensive overseas conflicts. The conflict makes Iranian newspaper headlines in Tehran on Tuesday. Photo: Reuters
