"We must work for NATO 3.0"/ Rutte: Withdrawal of US troops will not affect the alliance's defense

2026-05-20 15:59:00, Kosova & Bota CNA

"We must work for NATO 3.0"/ Rutte: Withdrawal of US troops will not

NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte stressed, at a press conference in Brussels, the need to implement the commitments made at the Hague Summit last year, where Allies pledged to increase defense spending to 5% of GDP by 2035.

Rutte's statements come just before the NATO Foreign Ministers' Meeting to be held on May 21-22 in Helsingborg, Sweden.

The main focus of the meeting will be preparing the agenda for the Ankara Summit on July 7-8, where, as Mark Rutte said, the central issue will be the implementation of the defense commitments made by European allies last year as well as NATO's continued support for Ukraine.

On Thursday in Helsingborg, Foreign Ministers will meet with their Ukrainian counterpart, Andrii Sybiha, to discuss how to ensure that support for Ukraine remains substantial, sustainable and predictable in the long term.

“The question is no longer whether we should do more. The question is how quickly allies can turn commitments into capabilities ,” Rutte said, calling for a steady and sustainable increase in investment and a credible path to achieving the goals. He said allies should increase defense industrial production on both sides of the Atlantic and strengthen warfighting capabilities.

"NATO 3.0"

The Secretary General stressed that changing the balance of responsibilities within the Alliance is part of ensuring that NATO remains ready. He noted how Europe and Canada are investing more and taking on greater responsibilities for conventional defense.

He added that this development is also reflected in NATO's command structure, where Europe will lead all three Joint Force Commands, while the United States will lead the three component commands, contributing to a stronger and more stable transatlantic Alliance.

"We will continue to see this transformation into a stronger Europe into a stronger NATO: NATO 3.0," said Mark Rutte.

With the term "NATO 3.0", the Secretary General describes the new phase of the Alliance's transformation after the war in Ukraine, with an emphasis on increased deterrence and collective defense in Europe.

"There is no impact on defense from the withdrawal of American troops"

Asked about the United States' decision to withdraw about 5,000 troops from Germany, the NATO Secretary General said that this will have no impact on NATO's defense plans and its ability to defend itself.

"We know that adjustments will be made but this will be done gradually and in a structured way ," he added. He said this is the normal course of events and was to be expected.

He also revealed that an announcement is expected later this week on the "NATO Force Model," troops belonging to 32 Alliance countries that could be activated in less than 180 days in the event of a crisis or war. He said that discussions on the NATO Force Model began a year ago.

Responding to a question about drone incidents that threaten the security of NATO countries in the Baltics, Rutte stressed that NATO reacted calmly, decisively and proportionately, while describing Moscow's claims that Latvia allows its airspace to be used for Ukrainian drone attacks against Russia as "completely ridiculous." /CNA