NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte has told European leaders they are mistaken if they believe the continent can defend itself without the backing of the United States.
Speaking on Monday while addressing committees of the European Parliament in Brussels, Rutte dismissed the idea of Europe standing alone on defence matters.
“If anyone here believes that the European Union, or Europe as a whole, can defend itself without the United States, they should keep dreaming. It’s simply not possible. We need one another,” he said.
Rutte cautioned that for Europe to truly operate independently, defence spending would need to rise to as much as 10 percent of national budgets. He added that European countries would also have to develop their own nuclear capabilities, a move that would cost billions of euros.
“In such a scenario, you would lose the ultimate guarantee of our freedom — the US nuclear umbrella. So, good luck with that,” he remarked.
His comments came amid a tense period for Europe and its Western allies following renewed controversy over US President Donald Trump’s push for American control of Greenland. Although Trump later ruled out using force to annex the Arctic territory during his speech at the World Economic Forum in Davos, the proposal unsettled many European leaders.
Rutte nonetheless praised Trump for highlighting security concerns in the Arctic, acknowledging that his stance might not be popular with lawmakers.
“I believe he’s right. The Arctic region poses real challenges. Collective security is at stake as new sea routes open up and as China and Russia increase their presence,” Rutte said.
The NATO chief outlined two paths forward regarding Greenland. The first would involve NATO taking greater collective responsibility for Arctic defence, aimed at limiting military and economic influence from Russia and China.
The second would focus on continued trilateral discussions between the United States, Denmark and Greenland. Rutte stressed that he would not take part in those talks, noting that he has no authority to negotiate on Denmark’s behalf.
Earlier this month, Denmark’s Foreign Minister Lars Løkke Rasmussen and Greenland’s Foreign Minister Vivian Motzfeld met with US Vice President JD Vance and Secretary of State Marco Rubio in Washington. Rasmussen later described the talks as “constructive,” while admitting that major disagreements remain.
The following week, Trump and Rutte met in Davos, where the US president claimed a framework had been reached on a potential Greenland deal with the NATO chief. Trump later announced he would drop plans to impose tariffs on European countries that opposed his Greenland ambitions. However, details of the alleged framework — and Rutte’s exact involvement — remain unclear, once again placing the NATO secretary general in the spotlight.