Lead Patriot

Right Leaning Commentary

NATO Chief Comments
The Scoop

NATO Chief Comments

NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte didn’t mince words this week in Brussels, delivering a blunt reality check to European lawmakers: Europe cannot defend itself without the United States — and any belief to the contrary is, in his words, a “dream.”

“If anyone thinks here… that the European Union or Europe as a whole can defend itself without the U.S., keep on dreaming. You can’t,” Rutte said, as reported by the Associated Press. His remarks come as NATO faces a pivotal geopolitical moment, grappling with Russia’s ongoing aggression in Ukraine, renewed questions about U.S. commitments, and simmering ambitions for European "strategic autonomy."


But Rutte didn’t stop there. He laid out the math, and it’s sobering: Even the five percent of GDP that NATO allies have pledged to spend on defense by 2035 — under pressure from former President Trump — wouldn’t be enough if Europe had to shoulder the burden alone. According to Rutte, without U.S. backing, Europe would have to double that commitment, including the creation of its own nuclear deterrent — an undertaking that would cost “billions and billions of euros.”

This wasn’t just a technical budget discussion. It was a pointed message aimed at EU leaders, some of whom have grown more vocal about reducing Europe’s dependency on the United States. France, in particular, has led the push for greater “strategic autonomy.” But Rutte's message suggests that even this growing movement underestimates the scale — and cost — of going it alone.

It’s worth noting that his remarks follow a sharp shift in tone from the United States. Trump’s administration has made clear that America’s global security focus is shifting, that NATO allies must meet U.S. spending levels, and that nothing — not even America’s nuclear umbrella — should be taken for granted. Rutte’s reference to Trump’s renewed interest in Greenland — a semiautonomous territory of NATO ally Denmark — underscores just how complex the strategic puzzle has become.

And while most NATO nations agreed at the 2025 Hague summit to ramp up spending to U.S. levels (3.5 percent of GDP on defense, plus 1.5 percent on related infrastructure), the path to that target is uncertain — and the political will required is steep.

Rutte’s conclusion was as sharp as it was undeniable: “Without the United States, Europe would lose the ultimate guarantor of our freedom… So, hey, good luck!”

That last line may have drawn laughter — but it wasn’t a joke. It was a warning. One that Europe, now more than ever, would do well to take seriously

Written by Arthur Higgens - January 27, 2026