NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte said today that the alliance will cooperates with the future president of the United States, no matter who takes the post, reported France Press. He stressed that NATO will do everything possible to preserve the unity of the bloc, quoted by BTA.
„We will work with Kamala Harris or with Donald Trump and we will ensure that the alliance remains united,”, Rutte emphasized at a joint press conference with German Chancellor Olaf Scholz in Berlin. He added that he is confident in continuing joint efforts, as this is “in the interest of both the US and Europe”.
According to Rutte, the US commitment to NATO is stable and based on shared strategic goals. "The Americans realize that if Russia succeeds in Ukraine, it will create a direct threat to NATO territory," he commented. “That is why they are involved in Ukraine, that is why they are in NATO.“
Rutte, who took over as NATO secretary general on October 1, said he knew the two candidates well and stressed that the alliance would remain focused on the stability and defense of its members.
At the same time, he expressed confidence that Germany will continue to increase its defense spending, even though it has already met NATO's goal of a two percent share of GDP – a goal the country has met for the first time in three decades. “All NATO members need to invest more in defense, and I believe that Germany will continue on this path”, Rutte concluded.