Disputes between U.S. President Donald Trump and other NATO leaders highlighted the alliance's democratic resilience and should serve as a lesson for Russian President Vladimir Putin, NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte said on Wednesday after a summit in Ankara.
Rutte Defends His Approach to Trump
In an interview with Reuters, Rutte also stated he sees no need to alter his method of dealing with Trump, despite accusations that he overly praises the U.S. president and fails to challenge his criticism of allies. "They knew what they got when they hired me, and I'm who I am," Rutte said. "If people are doing good stuff, I will say so. If I do not agree, I will also say so, but then probably not out in the open, and try to maintain the unity of the alliance."
Summit Tensions and Trump's Actions
Trump rattled the summit by publicly threatening to cut trade ties with Spain, reviving differences over the Iran war, and renewing claims on Greenland. However, he later recommitted to the alliance and stated there was "a lot of love" and unity among its 32 leaders.
Message to Putin
When asked about the message that such infighting sends to Russia's leader and whether it undermines NATO's deterrence, Rutte responded: "I would say to Putin: You should have some more discussions yourself, out in the open." NATO considers Russia the biggest threat to its members' security, and member states have increased defence spending by hundreds of billions of dollars since Moscow's 2022 invasion of Ukraine. Rutte added: "What he (Putin) has seen now is sometimes allies disagreeing a bit, having a bit of a quarrel, and then coming together and reuniting."
Democracies vs. Autocracies
Rutte emphasized that the ability to argue openly and then converge around a common purpose is "what distinguishes democracies" from countries such as Russia, China, and Iran.
