NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte said he was fully convinced that the alliance would continue to exist and that the US would remain part of it, BTA reports.
He made this point at a press conference ahead of the upcoming two-day meeting of foreign ministers from the military-political alliance in Brussels.
„The US has repeatedly confirmed the operation of Article 5 of the Washington Treaty, but has clearly expressed an expectation that allies will increase their defense spending“, Rutte noted. „We have to do this because of threats from Russia and China“, he added. Rutte explained that it is no coincidence that NATO's military command center in Europe is led by the United States and that there are no plans to withdraw American forces from the continent.
“We live in a dangerous world. NATO must be stronger, fairer and more capable of deadly strikes“, said the secretary general. He added that the alliance's foreign ministers will discuss increasing military spending, increasing military production and continuing support for Ukraine. The ministers will be briefed on the latest developments on the battlefield by their Ukrainian counterpart.
Rutte expressed support for US efforts for a just and lasting end to the war in Ukraine, praising US President Donald Trump for seeking a way out of the crisis. "The war must end in such a way that Vladimir Putin never again tries to seize an inch of Ukraine or part of NATO territory," Rutte said.
Answering a question about Bosnia and Herzegovina and the behavior of Bosnian Republika Srpska President Milorad Dodik, Rutte stressed that NATO cannot accept security gaps and does not want destabilization in the country. "I recently visited Bosnia and Herzegovina. The presidency runs the country," Rutte said, adding that Dodik must accept the decisions of an independent court and behave appropriately.