NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte stated that European leaders have “gotten the message” following US President Donald Trump’s announcement of plans to withdraw 5,000 soldiers from Germany.
Trump has grown increasingly frustrated with NATO allies, accusing them of insufficient support for the US war on Iran. Speaking on Monday, Rutte acknowledged “disappointment from the US side”.
“European leaders have gotten the message. They heard the message loud and clear,” Rutte said before a European Political Community meeting in Armenia. “Europeans are stepping up, a bigger role for Europe and a stronger NATO,” he added.
The Pentagon announced the troop withdrawal from Germany on Friday, days after German Chancellor Friedrich Merz claimed Iran was humiliating the US during negotiations to end the war.
The European Union’s top diplomat, Kaja Kallas, called the timing a “surprise”. “I think it shows that we have to really strengthen the European pillar in NATO, and we have to really do more,” Kallas said, stressing that “American troops are not in Europe only for protecting European interests but also American interests.”
Over the weekend, NATO spokesperson Allison Hart said officials in the 32-nation military alliance “are working with the US to understand the details of their decision on force posture in Germany”.
European criticism of the war on Iran has mounted in recent weeks as the conflict sends shockwaves through the global economy due to continued disruption to shipping in the Strait of Hormuz. Last week, Merz compared the war to previous military quagmires, such as the US invasions of Iraq and Afghanistan.
“It is, at the moment, a pretty tangled situation,” he said. “And it is costing us a great deal of money. This conflict, this war against Iran, has a direct impact on our economic output.” Spain has refused to let the US launch attacks on Iran from its airspace or military bases.
Despite this, Rutte claimed “more and more” European nations were now pre-positioning assets such as minehunters and minesweepers close to the Gulf to be ready for the “next phase” in the war. He provided no details, and European nations have previously insisted they would not help to police the Strait of Hormuz until the war is over.
Many European countries have committed to ramping up defence spending amid fears over Trump’s commitment to NATO and Russia’s assault on Ukraine. French President Emmanuel Macron said, “Europeans are taking their destiny into their own hands, increasing their defence and security spending, and building their own common solutions.”
Source: www.aljazeera.com