"Europe and the United States "need each other," he said. Tensions are festering within NATO over U.S. President Donald Trump's renewed threats in recent weeks to annex Greenland, which is a semiautonomous territory of NATO ally Denmark. Trump also said that he was slapping new tariffs on Greenland's European backers, but later dropped his threats after a "framework" for a deal over the mineral-rich island was reached, with Rutte's help."
"They pledged to spend 3.5% of gross domestic product on core defense, and a further 1.5% on security-related infrastructure - a total of 5% of GDP - by 2035. "If you really want to go it alone," Rutte said, "forget that you can ever get there with 5%. It will be 10%. You have to build up your own nuclear capability. That costs billions and billions of euros.""
Europe cannot defend itself without U.S. military support and would have to more than double current defense spending targets to be self-reliant. NATO tensions have risen after U.S. President Donald Trump's renewed threats to annex Greenland and proposed tariffs on Greenland's European backers, though those threats were later dropped following a framework deal reached with Dutch involvement. NATO's Article 5 binds members to mutual defense. At the July summit most European allies and Canada pledged 3.5% of GDP for core defense plus 1.5% for security infrastructure, totaling 5% by 2035. Achieving independent European defense would likely require about 10% of GDP and nuclear capabilities, with enormous costs. France is advancing calls for strategic autonomy amid shifting U.S. security priorities.
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