Europe cannot defend itself without America — NATO Secretary-General Rutte

Politico reported the information.

Speaking before the European Parliament's defense and foreign affairs committees, Rutte dismissed the notion of European self-sufficiency in blunt terms. "If anyone thinks here ... that the European Union or Europe as a whole can defend itself without the U.S., keep on dreaming," he told lawmakers. "You can't."

The NATO chief argued that proposals for a separate European defense pillar would create unnecessary duplication and play into Russian leader Vladimir Putin's hands. He emphasized that truly independent European defense would require massive investment—potentially 10 percent of GDP rather than the current 5 percent target—and cost "billions and billions of euros" to replace America's nuclear deterrent.

Rutte's comments come just days after President Donald Trump backed away from threats to seize Greenland by force, instead announcing a deal he claims will give Washington greater control over the strategically important Arctic territory. The secretary-general, whom Trump credited with helping broker the arrangement, acknowledged he had "no mandate to negotiate" on Denmark's behalf.

Despite the recent tensions, Rutte insisted that Washington maintains a "total commitment" to NATO's collective defense. He even praised Trump for pressuring alliance members to meet defense spending targets. "Do you really think that Spain and Italy and Belgium and Canada would have decided to move from 1.5 to 2 percent ... without Trump. No way," Rutte said.

The former Dutch prime minister also urged European Union lawmakers not to restrict an upcoming €90 billion loan to Ukraine with "buy EU" provisions that would favor European weapons manufacturers over American suppliers. He warned that such restrictions would hamper Kyiv's ability to defend itself, noting that Europe's defense industry "cannot at the moment provide ... nearly enough of what Ukraine needs."

Under the European Commission's current proposal, two-thirds of the loan would fund Ukrainian military purchases, with EU arms-makers receiving priority—a provision backed by France but opposed by Germany and the Netherlands.