Rutte Says Europe Should Thank Trump For Forcing Defense Spending Hike

By Staff, Agencies

NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte has argued that European countries should be grateful that Donald Trump is US president, claiming his pressure has compelled Europe to take greater responsibility for its own defense.

Speaking at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Rutte said Trump’s confrontational approach toward allies has forced European governments to confront long-standing underinvestment in military capabilities.

He dismissed criticism that he has been overly accommodating toward the US president, saying Trump’s impact on European defense has been decisive.

Rutte argued that without Trump, major European economies such as Spain, Italy, and France would not have agreed to meet NATO’s long-standing target of spending 2% of GDP on defense.

He described the shift as a necessary step for Europe to “grow up” in the post-Cold War era. NATO members have since agreed on an even higher target of 5% of GDP by 2035, a demand Trump had repeatedly raised.

His remarks come amid controversy over a private message he sent Trump pledging to help “find a way forward” on Greenland, an approach that has drawn sharp criticism from several European figures.

French MEP Nathalie Loiseau mocked Rutte as a groveling “McDonald’s employee of the month” for what she described as excessive flattery.

The Greenland issue has widened rifts within NATO, after Trump openly pushed to acquire the autonomous Danish territory and threatened tariffs on European countries opposing the move.

Although tensions remain high, Trump has recently claimed that a framework for a potential deal is under consideration.

Belgian Prime Minister Bart De Wever has warned that Europe now faces a stark choice between preserving its self-respect or remaining dependent on Washington, suggesting the dispute could mark “the end of an era of 80 years of Atlantism.”