Rutte: The United States today has a stronger ally in Europe thanks to increased defense investment

Mark Rutte, NATO Secretary General, said that Europe today is a much stronger partner for the United States than it was five years ago, as a result of increased defense investment by allied countries.

In a conversation with European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen on the sidelines of the NATO summit in Turkey, Rutte stressed that the alliance cannot continue to rely excessively on the US. “We cannot continue to be overly dependent on the United States. We need a much stronger Europe and a much stronger NATO,” he said.

Rutte emphasized that one of NATO’s main priorities is expanding the defense industry in Europe, Canada and the US, adding that in some European countries new production lines for military equipment have already been put into operation.

According to him, this is the biggest transformation the Alliance has undergone since the end of the Cold War. “Europe is taking on much more responsibility within NATO. Today we have a transformed alliance, in which the US has a much stronger partner in Europe. This makes all of NATO stronger,” Rutte said.

These statements come at a time when NATO allied countries are increasing defense spending and seeking to strengthen military capabilities in the face of security challenges.