BRUSSELS, Jan 26 (Reuters) – NATO boss Mark Rutte on Monday dismissed calls by some leading European politicians for a separate European army, prompted by doubts over Donald Trump’s commitment to the continent’s security that were heightened by tensions over Greenland.
Rutte told advocates of a European force separate from the U.S.-led NATO alliance to “keep dreaming”, and said Russian President Vladimir Putin would “love” the idea as it would stretch Europe’s armies and make them weaker.
Speaking to the European Parliament in Brussels, Rutte said European nations should continue to step up to take more responsibility for their own security, as Trump has demanded – but within the transatlantic alliance.
Spanish Foreign Minister Jose Manuel Albares and European Defence Commissioner Andrius Kubilius have both raised the prospect of a European force in recent weeks.
Without referring explicitly to either proposal, Rutte gave the general idea short shrift, insisting Trump and the U.S. remained strongly committed to NATO, despite the uncertainty caused by Trump’s demands that NATO member Denmark cede control of Greenland.
“I think there will be a lot of duplication and I wish you luck if you want to do it, because you have to find the men and women in uniform – they’ll be on top of what is happening already,” he said.
“It will make things more complicated. I think Putin will love it. So think again.”
Rutte told the lawmakers that if Europe really wanted to go it alone, it would cost far more than the 5% of GDP that NATO nations have agreed to spend on defence and security-related investments.
“You have to build up your own nuclear capability – that costs billions and billions of euros. You will lose then, in that scenario … the ultimate guarantor of our freedom, which is the U.S. nuclear umbrella. So hey, good luck.”
(Reporting by Andrew Gray; Editing by Kevin Liffey)
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