NATO Secretary General Relieves Concerns About US New Strategy, Affirms Trump's Commitment To Alliance

JAKARTA - Secretary-General of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) Mark Rutte on Thursday eased concerns over the new United States national security strategy documents, stressing President Trump's Administration remains committed to the alliance.

Speaking at a joint press conference with German Chancellor Friedrich Merz in Berlin, Secretary General Rutte said the Allies were aware of US President Donald Trump's hopes and had taken steps to increase their defense spending and carry more responsibility.

"As secretary general of NATO, of course, my main focus is to ensure that the alliance, overall, is safe. When I, through that lens, saw the US national security strategy, it was clearly stated that the US was committed to Europe," said Secretary General Rutte, quoted by Anadolu (11/12).

"And the US is committed to NATO. The US also recognizes that in order for the entire alliance to remain safe, strong cooperation is needed within NATO, between European allies and Canada and the United States," he added.

The new US national security strategy document, released last week, outlines the priorities of President Trump's Administration in foreign policy and security.

The document focuses on the Indo-Pacific region while rejecting the European government's characterization of Russia as an "existent threat."

The document also has a critical view of the acceptance of new NATO members, stating it is time to stay away from NATO's view "as an alliance that continues to grow."

In contrast to the guarantees of Secretary General Rutte, German Chancellor Merz expressed concern about documents on US national security strategies, stressing European countries must strengthen their defense capabilities and take more responsibility for their own security.

"For the German government, strengthening the pillars of NATO Europe in foreign policy and security is our top priority. The new US national security strategy, which we saw last week, confirms that we are on the right track," Chancellor Merz told reporters.

"Germany and Europe are right to systematically invest in their own strengths in security policies, migration policies, economic policies, and many other areas. We are doing this on our own confidence, not because someone is pushing us to do it, but because it is in our interest to make Europe independent," he said.