Rutte era between more investments, support for kyiv and strengthening of the Euro-Atlantic axis

The day of Mark Rutte to NATO. The former prime minister of the Netherlands is officially the new secretary general of NATO, succeeding Jens Stoltenbergwho has led the Atlantic Alliance for ten years. “Mark is a good friend, he knows the Alliance well, he was prime minister for 14 years leading various coalitions and he knows how to reach compromises and create consensus,” Stoltenberg said at Alliance headquarters. NATO in Brussels, speaking to the press. in Rutte this morning. “It’s great to be here, I can’t wait to get to work.” You have maintained the course of this great alliance in troubled times and I can only thank you. Thanks to it, NATO is now bigger, stronger and more united than ever. For me, it is a great honor to follow you as Secretary General”, were the first words of Rutte, who then clarified what the priorities of his mandate will be. The first point of course remains support for Ukraine, aid to kyiv must continue and, if possible, increase further “There can be no lasting security in Europe without a strong and independent Ukraine. We must therefore do our part and do our part. agreed at the Washington summit a reality: leadership, financial commitment and Ukraine’s irreversible path to membership. And we must also continue to provide our support in the future, because it has its rightful place. ‘Ukraine is within NATO,’ explained the new secretary general.

The other priority will be to maintain and ensure that NATO remains “strong and united”, equipped with “effective and credible defenses against all threats”. For this reason, Rutte explains, “we need more forces, with better capabilities and faster innovation. This requires more investment. Because to do more, we have to spend more. There is no free alternative if we are to meet the challenges ahead and ensure the security of the billion people protected by the Alliance, he added. The third priority will be to strengthen partnerships with the European Union and with countries around the world that share the common interests of the Alliance. “In a globalized and interconnected world, our security must be a team effort, and I look forward to working closely with all allies,” he concluded during his speech at a conference of press. I am leaving a “strong and strengthened” Atlantic Alliance, rather declared Stoltenberg, analyzing the ten years at the head of NATO, citing among his successes the increase in military troops and their preparation, the great qualitative leap made in support in kyiv (unlike what happened in 2014) and the achievement, by 23 allies, of the minimum of 2 percent of GDP in military spending, as well as the entry of four new allied countries and the strengthening of relations with Indo-Pacific partners.

At the center of the new Secretary General’s actions must also be the maintenance and strengthening of Europe with the United States, now close to the elections, and the increasingly difficult relations with China, also due to the support of Beijing to the Kremlin’s war in Ukraine. “China cannot continue to fuel the biggest conflict in Europe since World War II without it having an impact on its interests and reputation,” Rutte told a news conference, responding to questions from journalists. present. A problem, that of China, that the former Dutch Prime Minister highlighted several times during the day, citing the delivery of microelectronic components and raw materials, but also the other aid provided to Moscow by Iran and Korea from the North. “All this must stop,” commented Rutte, specifying that aid to Moscow always comes in exchange for the Kremlin’s help in developing the programs of friendly countries, notably missile and nuclear programs. It is precisely for this reason, reiterated the new Secretary General, that collaboration with Indo-Pacific partners remains of fundamental importance.

The biggest theater of geopolitical tensions in NATO, however, remains Ukraine, where the battlefield continues to show a “difficult” situation, as Rutte himself specifies, but where Russia records around a thousand deaths and injured per day. Ukraine, the former Dutch Prime Minister then clarified, “has the right to defend itself and, according to international law, this right does not stop at the border. This means that supporting kyiv’s right to self-defense also means allowing strikes on legitimate targets on the territory of the aggressors.” The final choice, he reiterated, rests with each ally, which must define its own relations with kyiv regarding the supply and use of weapons.

No worries, however, about the future of the American elections. “I’m not worried. I know both candidates very well. I worked for four years with Donald Trump and it was he who pushed us to spend more. In fact, we are currently at a much higher level of spending than when he was president in early 2017. He was also pushing us to act on China, and I think he was right,” he reiterated in a media. “Obviously, Kamala Harris she has a great history as vice president and is a well-respected leader. I will be able to work with both of them regardless of the outcome of the vote. We will see what happens,” he concluded. The Alliance is nevertheless strong, said the new secretary after his first press conference, once again reiterating the need to increase investments in the future. “We must defend our alliance. We must ensure that our nations, our people, our values are defended. This is absolutely the case right now. we would be ready to respond and we would win. But we must ensure that this is also the case in the years to come.

Related posts