NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte has stated that this is “not the time for isolation, neither for Europe nor for America,” emphasizing that the current global security challenges are “too significant to tackle alone.”
“When it comes to ensuring the safety of Europe and North America, there is no substitute for NATO,” he remarked.
Mr. Rutte delivered these comments during a speech on transatlantic security this afternoon at the Warsaw School of Economics.
“Nothing can substitute America’s nuclear umbrella, which is the ultimate guarantor of our security,” he told a packed audience of professors, students, and analysts from Polish think tanks.
Mr. Rutte expressed his belief that the US remains steadfast in its commitment to NATO and Article 5 of the alliance’s treaty, which states that an attack on one member is regarded as an attack on all.
In reference to the current US-led efforts to establish a ceasefire in the ongoing three-year Russia-Ukraine conflict, Mr. Rutte commented: “I am pleased that President Trump has broken the stalemate, as we believe it is necessary and beneficial that peace talks are being conducted now under his leadership.”
“The Americans, and all of us, have always been clear that we must secure a durable and lasting peace for Ukraine. Vladimir Vladimirovich Putin must never attempt to attack Ukraine again.”
He highlighted the importance of ongoing discussions among European nations regarding how to “potentially assist in maintaining peace in Ukraine.”
Regarding Russia’s maximalist demands for the conflict’s resolution, including the withdrawal of NATO multinational battalions from Eastern Europe, Mr. Rutte stated: “Putin can propose whatever he wishes, but he has absolutely no influence on how we organize ourselves within the 32-member alliance.”
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He noted that Russia’s advanced missile technology means that all NATO members are essentially positioned on the alliance’s “eastern flank.”
The NATO chief asserted that even after the conflict in Ukraine concludes, “Russia will continue to pose a significant and direct threat to our security.”
According to Mr. Rutte, Russia’s president has “not abandoned his aim to reshape the global security order,” highlighting that China is also expanding its military and nuclear capabilities “without limits or transparency.”
“Putin must understand that if he attempts to seize even a square kilometer of Estonia, Poland, Slovakia, Spain, or Portugal, our response will be devastating, and the full force of NATO will be upon him.”
“Nothing can replace America’s nuclear umbrella, the ultimate guarantor of our security,” said NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte during his address at the Warsaw School of Economics this afternoon — @rtenews pic.twitter.com/DidaIrfvgH
— Liam Nolan (@liamnolanRTE) March 26, 2025
The NATO chief indicated that members of the military alliance currently spending less than 2% of their GDP on defense are engaged in “genuine discussions” to achieve that target by summer.
Mr. Rutte mentioned last month that NATO members must increase their defense spending to over 3% of GDP, rising from the current 2% threshold established by the alliance over a decade ago.
This spending goal is expected to be a key topic at NATO’s annual summit in The Hague in June.
US President Donald Trump has consistently criticized NATO members for failing to meet the 2% target and, prior to his return to the Oval Office in January, called for alliance members to escalate defense expenditures to 5% of GDP.
Poland is currently the leading European NATO member in terms of GDP spent on defense and security, committing to 4.7% this year.
Estonia and Latvia currently allocate more than 3% of their annual GDP to defense.
Earlier, Mr. Rutte had meetings with Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk and Polish President Andrzej Duda.
In a press conference alongside Mr. Tusk, the NATO Secretary-General affirmed that the alliance would respond with a “devastating” strike to any Russian attack on Poland or any other ally.
