March 27, 2025 (EIRNS)—NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte admonished the United States and Europe on March 26 against any temptation to “go it alone” on security, amid increased tensions over the future of the transatlantic alliance and diverging views on Russia. “Let me be absolutely clear, this is not the time to go it alone. Not for Europe or North America,” Rutte said, in a speech at the Warsaw School of Economics, reported Reuters. “The global security challenges are too great for any of us to face on our own. When it comes to keeping Europe and North America safe, there is no alternative to NATO,” he added.
Asked whether allies can still have confidence in the U.S. after the controversy over the leaked Signal chat, in which both J.D. Vance and Peter Hegseth were disdainful of Europe, Rutte later told reporters: “Absolutely, can we trust the Americans, yes. They are our biggest partner, the biggest allies in NATO. Yes, Europe needs to know that Uncle Sam still has our back. But America also needs to know that its NATO allies will step up,” Rutte said, adding the June summit would provide an opportunity to build a “stronger, fairer and more lethal NATO.” “A fairer NATO means all allies doing their fair share,” the former Dutch prime minister added.
