How Mark Rutte is trying to appease Trump and why allies were not warned about the attacks in Iran
NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte made efforts on Thursday to defend Donald Trump and the war he is waging against Iran, at the same time justifying the reluctance of Europeans to join the United States in this conflict, reports AFP.
Mark Rutte, NATO Secretary General PHOTO: EPA EFE
“Iran has been an exporter of chaos in the (Middle East) region and the world for many years. Let's not be naive on this subject”he assured the press, News writes,
“And what the United States is doing right now is reducing that capability. And, yes, I applaud that.”he pointed out.
Criticized by certain political leaders in Europe because of this bias, Mark Rutte explained that this finding of the danger represented by Iran's nuclear or ballistic capabilities is shared by all allies.
He explained afterward that the Europeans had been slow to respond to the United States' demands for a reopening of the Strait of Hormuz, but since “good reasons”.
balancer
They were not warned about the attacks by the United States and Israel, which the United States rightly wanted to keep secret, which resulted in a delay in their response, he explained.
“There is still a risk: if too many people are informed, information can be leaked. But the drawback is that Europeans take time to organize themselves”he stated.
But, “the good news” is that, “Currently, more than 32 countries have pledged to come together to discuss where and when to do so to keep sea lanes open. And that answers President Trump's question exactly.”assured Mark Rutte.
For months, the former Dutch prime minister has been doing a balancing exercise, between the invectives of the president of the United States against the European allies in NATO, whom he categorized, among other things, as “cowardi”, and the care to defend them without angering Donald Trump.
Rutte, asked several times on Thursday about Donald Trump's criticism of NATO member states in Europe, refused to comment.
He emphasized, on the contrary, the beneficial influence of the American president on the strengthening of NATO.
The 32 NATO member states committed last year to allocate at least 5% of their GDP to military and security spending – until 2035.
“Without Trump, I don't think this would have happened,” he assured.
