NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte has firmly denied reports of a planned withdrawal of U.S. troops from Europe. His statement comes in response to growing concerns over potential actions by President Donald Trump’s administration.
“The United States has repeatedly confirmed its commitment to NATO and Article 5 of the North Atlantic Treaty. I am absolutely convinced that the alliance will continue to function together with the U.S.,” Rutte told reporters.
The Secretary General added that this commitment comes with the expectation that European NATO members and Canada will increase their defense spending. The alliance’s current goal is to allocate at least 2% of GDP to defense, but President Trump has advocated for raising this threshold to 5%. Rutte mentioned a target “significantly higher than 3%.” This issue is set to be discussed at the upcoming meeting of NATO foreign ministers in Brussels.
Doubts about Washington’s commitment to European security have been fueled by Trump’s past statements about refusing to defend NATO countries that fail to invest adequately in their defense, as well as his threats regarding a potential invasion of Greenland.
Media reports have also suggested possible plans to relocate U.S. troops and equipment from Europe to the Indo-Pacific region, as well as the potential transfer of the Supreme Allied Commander Europe (SACEUR) position to a European officer.
Addressing these reports, Rutte stated:
“These are just hypotheses. I haven’t seen anything concrete—these are merely rumors. We have not received any clear proposals on this matter. There are no plans for a withdrawal or anything of the sort. We know that the U.S. remains fully committed to NATO.”