NATO’s Rutte Says Trump’s Pressure on Putin Is ‘Way Forward’

(Bloomberg) -- NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte gave his full-throated backing to US President Donald Trump’s pressure campaign against Russia aimed at halting its war on Ukraine.

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Speaking in an interview with Bloomberg Editor-in-Chief John Micklethwait at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Rutte said that Trump’s post on social media threatening further economic sanctions on Russia was the correct strategy.

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“That’s the way forward,” he said.

Trump has in the past tested NATO’s limits and shaken allies to the core by threatening to pull out of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization — a move that would risk the post-World War II global order — unless Europeans stepped up their military outlays. Rutte, though, stressed that the president deserves credit for getting NATO allies to raise their defense spending, and dismissed “whining and complaining” about Trump.

“Trump starting that debate is good, he will aways do it in his own way,” said Rutte.

Trump has said he’ll bring about a rapid end to the war in Ukraine, but has yet to spell out how. The president is due to address the Davos audience later on Thursday by video link.

While declining to discuss the outlines of any future deal to stop the fighting, saying the best focus was to put Kyiv in as strong a position as possible, the NATO chief made the connection between Putin’s war and China, portraying Beijing as a part of an “axis” along with North Korea, Iran and Russia.

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“This is not a conflict between Russia and Ukraine or Russia and Europe. It’s a geopolitical issue because of North Korea, China, Iran, and that is why we need to get a good deal,” he said. “A good deal means you will not have Putin high-fiving with Kim Jong Un and Xi Jinping and the mullahs in Iran.”

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Rutte’s constructive working relationship with Trump in his prior role as Dutch prime minister was considered one of his strong suits as he stepped into the NATO seat in October. He was quick off the mark to reach out to Trump after his election victory, praising his “leadership” in “keeping the alliance strong,” then becoming one of the first foreign leaders to make the pilgrimage to Mar-a-Lago.

In reality, he has little other choice than to try to and keep Trump onside: US defense spending equates to about two-thirds of all allies’ outlays. The US president has floated a desired level of 5% of gross domestic product, a share that neither the US nor any other NATO member meets. Rutte said that allies will have to come up with “really much more than we’re spending now.”

“We can’t wait any longer,” he said. “Collectively we will decide later this year what exactly the new number will be, and it will be much more than 2%.”

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Whereas Trump has said he’d “encourage” Russia to do “whatever the hell they want” to countries who failed to spend what he regards as enough, he’s switched the pressure to Putin, urging Putin to “MAKE A DEAL” or face further punishing economic sanctions.

After almost three years of war, Kyiv’s allies are calling increasingly openly for an end to the fighting. Even President Volodymyr Zelenskiy has softened his stance and started to discuss details of a settlement — he said in a Bloomberg interview that any effective peacekeeping force deployed in Ukraine will need to include US troops.

“I say the problem is not Trump, the problem is Europe,” said Rutte, singling out the relative lack of military spending among European NATO members. “We could pay more of the financial burden. Trump is clear that he feels we are under the US umbrella here and not paying enough.”

Explainer: Why NATO Is So Unprepared to Defend Europe Without US Support

--With assistance from Andra Timu.

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(Updates with defense spending comment in 11th paragraph.)

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