NATO Secretary General Says US And European Allies Agree Russia Is A Long-Term Threat

JAKARTA - Secretary General of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) Mark Rutte said after talks with President Donald Trump on Thursday, the United States and its European allies agreed Russia was a long-term threat.

"We are all in NATO agreeing that Russia is a long-term threat to NATO territory for the entire Euro-Atlantic region," Secretary General Rutte told reporters outside the White House.

He also said Uncle Sam's country remains committed to NATO, even as Washington focuses more on the Asia-Pacific region.

Quoted from Euronews, Secretary General Rutte was in Washington on Thursday to meet with senior US officials, two months before he was scheduled to chair President Trump's summit and his NATO partners in the Netherlands.

Leaders are expected to set new guidelines for defense spending.

Secretary General Rutte himself urged the 32 member states to dedicate more funds, equipment and political energy to the world's largest military alliance, as the United States withdrew from its main security role in Europe.

"By 2025, we need to significantly increase efforts to ensure NATO remains the main source of military profit for all of our countries. Our continued freedom and prosperity hinges on it," Secretary General Rutte wrote in his annual report.

NATO has been in turmoil since February, when US Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth warned Washington's security priorities were elsewhere and Rropa had to keep Ukraine's own security and security.

Rutte's report was uploaded on NATO websites without clear publicity.

In previous years, the secretary-general had promoted their annual reports with press conferences and press releases.