At the White House in March, President Trump asked NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte whether his current position is tougher than his former job as prime minister of the Netherlands. Though “Dutch politics are brutal,” Rutte said, “this job is quite tough.”
Rutte, who took over as NATO chief last October, is tasked with steering the alliance toward a future of greater military might. To keep his fleet of NATO nations in tight formation, Rutte knows he must keep the flagship on course. America’s leadership is crucial to the alliance’s strength, he admits. But Trump, who threatened to pull out of the alliance altogether in his first term, has continued to irritate many NATO nations with his recent rhetoric and policies, making Rutte’s job even tougher.
The president called Canada the 51st state, threatened to annex Greenland (an autonomous territory of Denmark), and dispatched his vice president to Munich in February to warn European leaders that the greatest threat to the continent is not Russia or China but the “threat from within,” a perceived breakdown of European culture and values.
Two weeks later, Trump said the European Union–which consists mostly of NATO states – was formed to “screw” the U.S. He announced 50% tariffs on imports from the EU, later pausing those tariffs until July 9 to give nations time to negotiate.
Trade tensions, conflict in the Middle East, and the ongoing war in Ukraine have given Trump and fellow world leaders much to talk about at this week’s G7 summit in Alberta, Canada.
But Rutte hopes to maintain a more narrow agenda at next week’s NATO summit in The Hague, Netherlands. Above all, he aims to walk away from the summit with a “NATO-wide commitment to spend 5% of GDP on defense,” in line with President Trump’s own demand for members of the alliance.
“America has carried too much of the burden for too long,” Rutte said in London last week. But Europe and Canada have “broad shoulders” that must carry more of the load moving forward.
Mimicking the approach of French President Emmanuel Macron and British Prime Minister Keir Starmer – who fashion themselves elite Trump whisperers – Rutte is no stranger to praising America’s top dealmaker. In the Oval Office, Rutte lauded Trump’s ability to wrangle Europe’s top economic powers into expanding military spending. He personally invited Trump to the summit in The Hague, Rutte’s hometown. Trump accepted and will attend his first meeting with the transatlantic alliance since his return to power.
Though it’s clear that NATO wants to keep Trump happy, Rutte insists that his push to expand defense spending “is not about pleasing an audience of one” but about protecting the nearly one billion citizens of NATO nations. Rutte, however, knows these goals go hand in hand. Europe needs time to build up its defense industrial base. If Trump opts to shrink U.S. military support in Europe overnight, small NATO nations would become particularly vulnerable. Rutte wants to keep the U.S. at the table, not call balls and strikes on the president.
When Trump’s decisions draw ire in Europe, Rutte consistently looks to stabilize. After Trump’s reelection, Rutte received calls from panicked European leaders who wondered whether they could count on America’s long-term commitment to NATO. “I told them to turn on the television and watch what he was saying,” Rutte advised. “Trump has demonstrated total commitment … with conditions.” As Rutte looks to affirm Trump’s commitment by defending him publicly, he also appears intent on satisfying Trump’s defense demands, which Rutte believes will only help Europe.
To counter the capabilities of the “awful foursome” – Russia, China, North Korea, and Iran – Rutte says NATO nations need to expand their defense industrial base, invest in cyber defense, and gain access to more critical minerals. “We need a 400% increase in air and missile defense.”
Rutte’s definition of defense spending may raise eyebrows in the Trump administration, though. He is asking NATO countries to spend 3.5% of GDP on defense capabilities and 1.5% on defense infrastructure. It’s unclear exactly what defense infrastructure entails. NATO countries need more critical minerals and other raw materials to produce sophisticated defense technologies and weapon systems. Procuring these materials could feasibly fall under the umbrella of “infrastructure.” But Rutte also said that NATO needs more than just tanks but also bridges to drive them on. The idea of building a bridge with funds from a nation’s defense budget may be interpreted by Trump’s team as a savvy attempt to skirt the president’s 5% demand.
Nonetheless, Rutte is asking for steep increases in defense spending, and he’s counting on a unified alliance heading into next week’s summit. It’s his first real test as Secretary-General, and if he’s successful, NATO will become a “stronger, fairer, and more lethal” alliance, he said.
The post-WWII world order is changing rapidly. Rutte, a key figure in this era of transition, hopes to salvage the unity and military dominance that fostered decades of stability and prosperity for NATO nations. Though Russia’s assault on Ukraine has revealed weaknesses in Putin’s military, the war has also helped Russia build out its war economy. Before long, Putin’s military capabilities could grow strong enough to match his thirst for Russian expansion. “We are all on the Eastern flank now,” Rutte said.
