NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte has called on European allies to take greater responsibility for the continent’s security as the alliance moves towards a more Europe-led defence structure.
“We are going to need more as we continue making NATO more and more European-led,” Rutte said on Thursday at a conference of German diplomatic missions in Berlin.
He said defence efforts across Europe were accelerating and that he saw a “real mindset shift” among European allies.
“In the wake of the Ankara summit in July, one thing is clear: allies are determined to build a stronger Europe in a stronger NATO, what we call NATO 3.0,” he said.
Rutte stressed that rebuilding European armed forces was essential, saying Europeans increasingly understood that taking greater responsibility for their own security was “not optional”.
Ukraine war
On Ukraine, Rutte said Russia was suffering “enormous losses”, estimating that more than 40,000 Russians were killed or seriously wounded each month.
Despite those losses, Russian President Vladimir Putin showed no willingness to end the war and continued to target Kiev and other parts of Ukraine, often striking civilians and civilian infrastructure, Rutte said.
Addressing reported sabotage attempts across Europe, Rutte described them as tactics of a “desperate regime” that was failing to achieve its objectives in Ukraine.
“Putin thinks he can divide us, destabilise us, and weaken our support for Ukraine, but he will fail,” he said.
Following his address, Rutte joined a moderated discussion with German Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul.
Asked whether the US remained prepared to defend Europe, Rutte said “absolutely”, adding that he had no doubt Washington remained committed to NATO and its Article 5 collective defence guarantee.
