"Taking over after Jens Stoltenberg's decade-long stewardship of NATO on October 1, 2024, former Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte knew that there would be no easing into his new position. Rutte had been a shoo-in for the job because European allies believed that if Donald Trump were reelected as US president just over a month later, he was the leader best suited to handle what would soon be an incredibly precarious relationship between NATO and the United States."
"On the campaign trail, Trump had openly offered NATO's nemesis, Russian President Vladimir Putin, to do "whatever the hell you want" with countries that hadn't met their 2014 pledge to spend at least 2% of GDP on defense. In his first term, Trump had mused about withdrawing the United States from the alliance. NATO's first secretary general, Lord Hastings Ismay, coined three goals, the most important of which were to keep the Americans in and the Russians out."
Mark Rutte assumed NATO leadership on October 1, 2024, confronting immediate challenges. European allies backed Rutte believing he could manage a fraught NATO–US relationship if Donald Trump was reelected. Trump publicly invited Russian President Vladimir Putin to act against NATO members that failed to meet the 2014 2% GDP defense pledge and had previously contemplated withdrawing the United States from the alliance. NATO’s founding goals emphasized keeping Americans in and Russians out, while pressure eventually pushed Germany to increase defense spending and readiness. With Russian aircraft testing NATO borders, the alliance remained on high alert. Rutte pursued renewed US commitment, visiting Mar-a-Lago before the inauguration and later facing criticism for remaining largely silent during a meeting when Trump discussed acquiring Greenland.
Read at www.dw.com
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