NATO’s ‘Trump whisperer’ chief has a clear message for the president-elect: Europe knows it must spend more on arms
NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte and Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk.
NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte has a “clear message” for the US: Europe knows it must spend more on defense.
Rutte met with Polish President Andrzej Duda and Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk in Warsaw earlier this week, taking the opportunity to praise Poland’s defense spending.
Poland is set to lead NATO in defense spending as a percentage of GDP for the second year in a row, with Warsaw investing more than 4% of its economic output on defense in 2024.
Speaking in the capital on Wednesday, Rutte said: “This sends a clear message not only to our adversaries but also to the United States. That Europe understands it must do more to ensure our shared security. And that starts with spending more and also fielding more capabilities.”
It seems a timely reminder following Donald Trump’s election win last week.
During his first term in the White House, Trump threatened to withdraw from NATO if allies did not start spending more on defense.
Rutte’s appointment as head of NATO earlier this year has offered some hope of appeasing Trump’s apparent skepticism of the alliance — Rutte has garnered a reputation as a “Trump whisperer,” and analysts say he understands the need for European allies to increase their share of the defense burden.
Rutte said last week that Europe would have to spend more than the 2% of GDP target.
In a visit to Paris to meet with French President Emmanuel Macron this week, the Secretary General also touched on the topic of Ukraine, stressing that the war also posed a threat to the US.
“Russia, working together with North Korea, Iran and China is not only threatening Europe, it threatens peace and security, yes, here in Europe, but also in the Indo Pacific and in North America,” Rutte said.
“So, we must stand together – Europe, North America and our global partners – to keep our people safe and prosperous,” he added.
Poland and NATO
Poland’s surge in defense spending has come in response to Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, which it launched in February 2022.
Some in Poland are now hopeful that Trump will appreciate the country’s efforts as he returns to office, seeing it as “a leading example of what a NATO member state should look like,” Aaron Korewa, the director of the Atlantic Council’s Warsaw Office, has said.
“However, that won’t amount to much if Ukraine is overrun by Russia and if the United States, either frustrated over lack of progress with countries such as Germany or due to rising ‘Asia first’ voices in the incoming administration, decides to turn away from Europe,” he added.
