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The US has “no plans” for a “sudden” US withdrawal from Europe’s defence, Nato’s secretary-general has said, adding that any shift towards Asia would be “co-ordinated” with European allies.
Mark Rutte’s comments on Thursday come amid rising concern among European capitals about Washington’s long-term commitment to the continent’s security.
US secretary of state Marco Rubio told his European counterparts on Thursday that President Donald Trump “supports Nato”, but wanted allies to commit to a “realistic pathway” for them to take on more responsibility for Nato’s capabilities.
Rutte told reporters ahead of a meeting of alliance foreign ministers that “there are no plans for them to all of a sudden draw down their presence here in Europe. But we know that for America being the superpower they are, they have to attend to more theatres”.
“We do everything in the alliance in the spirit of no surprises, of working together . . . If the Americans want to pivot more to Asia, obviously we will do that in a co-ordinated manner,” Rutte added.
Trump’s move to restore ties with Moscow and his threats to withdraw US protection for Nato allies who fail to spend more on defence have spooked European governments, who have responded by increasing military investments and discussing how they could mitigate the US reducing its support for the alliance.
Rubio said that he wanted to hear allies commit to increasing defence spending drastically with a new target of 5 per cent of GDP — up from 2 per cent at present — to build up their military capabilities, as Washington seeks to scale back its presence in Europe and refocus on other regions.
“President Trump has made it clear we support Nato and will remain in Nato . . . He is not against Nato. He is against a Nato that does not have the capabilities that it needs,” Rubio said, stood next to Rutte. “No one expects you will be able to do this in one year or two, but the pathway must be there.”
“We do want to leave here with an understanding that we are on a pathway, a realistic pathway, to every single one of the members committed and fulfilling a promise to reach up to 5 per cent of spending,” he said. “That includes the US.”
Rubio dismissed reports of a possible reduction in US troops or military presence in Europe as “hysteria and hyperbole”, but said the continent needed to change its spending priorities.
“This is a collection of advanced economies, rich countries, who have the capability to do more,” Rubio said, adding that would require a change from European governments after “decades of building up vast social safety nets”.
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