NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte, 58, who is close to U.S. President Donald Trump, believes Trump is playing the role the world currently needs. He noted that the 5% defense spending target, adopted at the Hague summit, is one of Trump's greatest achievements in foreign policy within Europe.
In an interview with the newspaper 'Politico,' Rutte expressed his hope that the war in Ukraine will end before the end of this year, stressing the importance of providing strong security guarantees to Ukraine if its accession to NATO is not possible, to prevent Russia from attempting a new attack in the future.
Here are excerpts from the interview:
■ Do you see Ukraine's peace plan as a source of strength or an opportunity?
■ What I really like about U.S. President Donald Trump is that since February of this year, he has worked persistently to break the deadlock with Russian President Vladimir Putin, and then pushed to end this war. The peace plan, which was recently presented, has become the basis for discussions between the United States and Ukraine and served as a solid foundation for dialogue about the future solution.
■ Russia wants to prevent Ukraine from joining NATO in the future. Don't Kyiv and the Alliance have the right to make this decision for themselves?
■ Russia has no voting power or veto power on the matter of any country joining NATO, but within the Alliance, accepting any new member requires the consensus of all member states. The Alliance has acknowledged that Ukraine is on an irreversible path to membership, however, a number of allies, including the United States, have expressed their opposition to Ukraine joining at this time. When looking at the peace plan, it is clear that if Ukraine cannot be accepted into NATO now, then we must at least provide strong security guarantees to prevent Russia from attempting to attack it again in the future.
■ But will the door to NATO membership remain open for Ukraine?
■ According to the 1949 Washington Treaty, any country in the Euro-Atlantic region has the right to apply for membership in the Alliance, but without the unanimous consent of all allies, accepting any new country becomes impossible.
■ Europeans have not participated in the negotiations since the peace plan was first proposed. Will Europe have a real role in the process, especially regarding financing or reconstruction?
■ I completely disagree with this statement. Europe also has its own peace initiative. Since February, intensive discussions have been taking place between European countries, the United States, and Canada on finding a path to end the war. The 'Coalition of the Willing' is one of the direct results of these discussions, which defines the nature of the security guarantees that will be provided after a peace agreement is reached. Also, U.S. military purchases under the program supporting Ukraine, 'BORAL,' also resulted from these consultations.
■ Do you think the war can end before the end of the year?
■ Of course, we all hope this war will end as soon as possible. On my part, I will do everything in my power to support President Trump's vision aimed at stopping the fighting, and I generally agree with him on the need to end this war without delay.
■ Since taking office as NATO Secretary General, you have met with Trump several times. Does the United States treat all Alliance members equally?
■ All allies are important to me, but it cannot be denied that the United States has the strongest military in the world, without a rival, and is the ultimate guarantor of Europe's security thanks to its nuclear umbrella. Its military presence in Europe is large and pivotal, providing essential capabilities that the Alliance relies on.
As for President Trump, I truly appreciate his role very much. I have known him well since I was Prime Minister of the Netherlands during his 45th presidency of the United States. I believe he is fully playing the role the world needs right now. The 5% defense spending target, adopted at the Hague summit, is one of his greatest achievements in foreign policy within Europe. And when Trump calls Putin, it makes a real difference. That is why I see that everyone is relieved to have him in the presidency.
