It's a good thing Donald Trump was re-elected as US president because NATO allies wouldn't have increased defense spending without him, the military alliance's secretary-general, Mark Rutte, said on Wednesday, as quoted by "Politico".
Rutte's comments in Davos come as Trump steps up his threats to take Greenland from Denmark, a move that would undermine the decades-old transatlantic alliance - perhaps fatally.
"I'm not popular with you right now because I'm defending Donald Trump, but I really believe you can be happy that he's there because he's forced us in Europe to step up, to face the consequences of "We need to take more care of our own defense," Rutte said at a panel discussion titled "Can Europe Defend Itself?" at the World Economic Forum.
According to Rutte, Europe's major economies - including Spain, Italy and France - would never have agreed to spend 2 percent of their GDP on defense if Trump had not become US president again.
"There's no way, without Donald Trump this would never have happened. They're all at 2 percent now," Rutte said. "I am absolutely convinced that without Donald Trump you would not have made these decisions and they are crucial, especially for the European and Canadian sides of NATO to really develop in the post-Cold War world."
Rutte's country, the Netherlands, which he led as prime minister for 14 years from 2010 to 2024, has been accused of underspending on defense during his term.
Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022 has forced European countries to increase their defense spending while also preparing for a potential withdrawal of U.S. troops from the continent as Trump shifts America's military priorities.
"The Americans still have over 80,000 troops in Europe... including in Poland and Germany, and so they are still heavily invested in European defense. And yes, they should be more focused on Asia. So it is logical that they expect us, Europe, to step up over time,” Rutte continued, adding that the nuclear umbrella is the ultimate guarantee.
NATO allies reached an agreement last summer to set a new defense spending target of 5% of GDP by 2035. The demand was initially raised by Trump, who has repeatedly hinted to his allies that he might withdraw from the military alliance that is the foundation of European security.