The European Union is stepping up its defence efforts, but NATO still relies on the involvement of the United States, alliance Secretary General Mark Rutte has said. He said this in the opening remarks of the NATO foreign ministers’ meeting on 4 April.
Rutte called the new EU Defence White Paper a “key milestone” and expressed hope for continued close cooperation in its implementation.
“The EU is also keen to play a greater role in supporting Ukraine. In a more dangerous world, we all have a fair contribution to make. At the same time, the unwavering commitment of the US to our strong transatlantic alliance remains the foundation of our security,” he said.
The secretary general added that he looked forward to discussing ways to strengthen ties between Europe and North America at the NATO summit in The Hague.
On the eve of the US Secretary of State Marco Rubio called the media report on the likely withdrawal of US forces from Europe “hysteria”. According to him, “the United States is as active in NATO as it has ever been”.