NATO Chief Urges Europe to ‘Step Up’ as US Turns Toward Asia

NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte said European militaries should “step up” as the US tilts away from the region to focus more on threats from Asia. 

Asked about a media report of potential US war planning with China, Rutte acknowledged a US pivot toward the Indo-Pacific region even as he reiterated that Washington has no plans to withdraw from Europe.

“It is understandable for the US that, over time, they want to focus more and more also on that part of the world,” Rutte told reporters in Brussels Wednesday ahead of a two-day meeting of NATO foreign ministers. “So it is logical for Europe to step up even more.”

The North Atlantic Treaty Organization chief spoke as the military alliance’s foreign ministers sought to gauge President Donald Trump’s commitment to mutual security and how to resolve Russia’s war in Ukraine. “The US is committed to NATO,” Rutte reasserted. 

Trump has thrown NATO member states off balance with his overtures toward Moscow and threats directed at Kyiv as he tries to end the three-year war in Ukraine. Foreign ministers plan to use the gathering on Thursday and Friday to sound out US Secretary of State Marco Rubio as they chart a path forward. 

With a NATO summit set for June in The Hague and many positions still to be filled in the new US administration, allies will focus on establishing a channel of communication with counterparts in Washington, according to senior diplomats who spoke on condition of anonymity. 

The Trump administration’s foray into transatlantic security, with Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth’s visit to NATO headquarters in February, has centered around demanding that allies spend 5% of economic output on their militaries and take over primary responsibility for the region’s defense. 

NATO allies are expected to adopt a new spending benchmark of at least 3% of gross domestic product in The Hague, while the current target of 2% will be largely met this year. Trump’s 5% demand isn’t currently met by any allies, including the US, the alliance’s largest contributor. 

More broadly, NATO members will seek to win Rubio’s support for a coordinated rebalancing of the alliance’s burden-sharing after the US shouldered most of the military capacity in the decades after World War II. That process is under way, even as many governments remain uncertain on whether and how the US might withdraw troops from Europe. 

And although Rubio will be in Brussels, there is a lack of certainty over who has leverage with Trump, a senior NATO diplomat said, declining to be identified as talks take place behind closed doors. 

Ukraine will also top the agenda, as European leaders press forward with an ambition to establish the war-battered nation as a “steel porcupine” against Russian aggression. 

As European capitals fret about being sidelined from Trump’s diplomatic efforts, they’ll aim to communicate red lines to Rubio, according to a senior NATO diplomat. Those include any permanent neutral stance for Ukraine, recognizing Russian-occupied territories and military limits imposed on Kyiv, the diplomat said. 

The Trump administration’s outreach to Moscow has already put on hold a plan to revise NATO’s Russia strategy this year. The US has signaled caution on language about Russia over concerns it could hamper negotiations, the diplomat said.

This article was generated from an automated news agency feed without modifications to text.