Politico: Rutte’s NATO mission — keeping US in, even as Europe pushes back

NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte is increasingly defining his role around a single priority: preventing the United States — and US President Donald Trump in particular — from turning its back on the alliance. That focus is now putting him on a collision course with European leaders and exposing a deepening rift inside NATO over the balance between US leadership and European autonomy.

Rutte is convinced that keeping Washington, and especially Trump, firmly engaged is essential to NATO’s survival. European leaders, however, increasingly fear that this strategy entrenches US dominance and sidelines efforts to build stronger European defence capabilities, Politico outlines. 

Rutte’s approach has also drawn scrutiny following his role in persuading Trump to back away from threats to annex Greenland during the January 19–23 World Economic Forum in Davos. While the intervention helped defuse immediate tensions, it raised questions in Europe about whether the reprieve is temporary and whether the United States could revisit its ambitions in the Arctic.

Despite insisting that he represents all NATO allies, Rutte’s emphasis on reassuring Washington has opened him up to criticism that other alliance priorities are being overshadowed. European officials are increasingly calling for stronger EU-led security structures, including deeper military integration beyond NATO.

A NATO official defended the secretary-general’s approach, saying: “As secretaries-general before him, NATO Secretary-General Rutte is convinced that our collective security is best served by Europe and North America working together through NATO.”

Still, Rutte has continued to publicly praise Trump and present him as a net positive for the alliance — a strategy supporters say is necessary to keep the United States committed, but critics argue risks weakening Europe’s push for greater strategic independence.

By Sabina Mammadli