Rutte in Washington. “NATO may play a role in opening the Strait of Hormuz”

Allies are providing America with support today, almost without exception they are doing what the US asks and can play a role in opening the Strait of Hormuz, said NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte on Thursday in a speech at the Reagan Institute in Washington. He again did not answer the question about the US leaving the Alliance.

In a speech the day after the meeting with US President Donald Trump, Rutte emphasized both the current support of NATO countries for the US in the context of the war with Iran, as well as the announcement of further steps.

– Some allies were a bit slow, but to be fair they were also a bit surprised. “To preserve the element of surprise during the initial attacks, President Trump chose not to inform allies in advance, and I understand that, but what I see as I look at Europe today is that its allies are providing tremendous assistance, supporting logistics and other means to ensure that the powerful US military forces succeed in denuclearizing Iran and weakening its ability to export chaos,” Rutte said. – Almost without exception, allies do everything the United States asks. They heard President Trump's requests and are responding to them, he added.

He pointed to the example of Britain building an international coalition, which began planning military and political measures to ensure free passage through Hormuz. He noted that his country, the Netherlands, may send mine-countermeasures ships, frigates and other assets to the region.

– This is evidence of a change in thinking. That is why every country is now looking for ways to contribute to this, he noted. He added that NATO itself could play a role in this process because “there is no reason not to help.” He stressed that although this requires a political agreement, it should happen quickly because “speed, not perfection, counts.”

Similarly to the day before in an interview with CNN, Rutte evasively answered questions about whether the US president talked about the possibility of America leaving NATO during his conversation at the White House with Trump. He only emphasized that Trump is disappointed with his allies and that he understands it. He also added that the conversation was “sincere and direct”, like between friends.

What will happen if Greenland secedes in the future?

When asked about the Greenland issue, which has been raised by Trump again in recent days, Rutte said that the main conversation on this subject was with Trump at the Davos summit and that US-Danish-Greenland talks on this subject are still ongoing. He also emphasized that in response to the concerns expressed by Trump, NATO has increased cooperation on Arctic security.

He noted that the trilateral talks focus, among others, on: on the question of what will happen if Greenland seceses in the future.

– I think it's a valid question that is worth answering and can be answered. I think it can be solved, he said. The second issue, as he pointed out, is preventing Russia and China from having access to Greenland's resources and economy.

Assessing the state of transatlantic relations, the Dutchman admitted that Europe has taken US leadership for granted for too long and announced that this will no longer be the case.

The Allies and I also recognize that we are in a period of fundamental change in the transatlantic alliance, Europe is taking on a larger and fairer share of the task of providing conventional protection, and there will be and should be no retreat, Rutte said.

From Washington Oskar Górzyński (PAP)

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