France Reasserts European Security Autonomy Following NATO Remarks
“No, dear Mark Rutte. Europeans can and must take charge of their own security,” Jean-Noel Barrot stated on the social media platform X. “Even the United States agrees. It is the European pillar of NATO,” he added.
NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte had previously asserted that Europe relies on the US for its defense.
“If anyone thinks here, again, that the European Union, or Europe as a whole, can defend itself without the US, keep on dreaming. You can't. We can't. We need each other,” Rutte said while addressing the European Parliament's Committee on Foreign Affairs and Committee on Security and Defense in Brussels on Monday.
Rutte also criticized the notion of a separate European Defense Force, warning that it would create “a lot of duplication.” “I wish you luck if you want to do it,” he added. “Because you have to find the men and women in uniform, it will be on top of what is happening already, and it will make things more complicated.”
Calls for Europe to take more responsibility for its own security are not new. The United States, particularly under the Trump administration, frequently urged European nations to assume a greater role in their defense.
Rutte, who previously served as Dutch prime minister, has earned a reputation as the “Trump whisperer” due to his consistent praise of the former US leader even amid broader tensions. He recently helped ease a potential conflict between Europe and the US after discussions with Trump led to agreement on a “framework” for a future deal concerning Greenland, averting the threat of American tariffs on nations opposing the Danish territory’s takeover.
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