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Speaking to media Wednesday ahead of an upcoming NATO foreign ministers’ meeting in Brussels, NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte announced that allies had pledged over €20 billion ($21.65 billion US) in additional funding to Ukraine since January.
The NATO Security Assistance and Training for Ukraine (NSATU) command in Wiesbaden, Germany will continue to coordinate aid and training for Kiev, Rutte assured, adding that the alliance is looking to use the “experience” gained from the conflict to strengthen its capabilities.
The alliance is exchanging information on Ukraine with partners in Asia, including Japan, Australia and New Zealand, Rutte said.
Rutte expressed confidence that the US would remain part of the alliance, saying there are no plans to withdraw US forces from Europe, and that Washington’s desire to see allies ramp up spending relates to “threats from Russia and China.”
"The Americans have stated again and again they are committed to NATO, to Article 5...I'm absolutely convinced this alliance is there to stay, with the US," the secretary-general said.
“NATO must be stronger, fairer and more capable of deadly strikes,” Rutte said, calling on European militaries to “step up” and spend “considerably north of 3%” of GDP on defense as the US pivots to Asia. “It is understandable for the US that, over time, they want to focus more and more also on that part of the world.”
NATO itself must be ready “to consider different theaters of operation,” including the Indo-Pacific, Rutte said. “We see that everything that happens in the world is more interconnected than it may seem.”
Commenting on President Trump’s ongoing push to acquire Greenland, the NATO chief reiterated that “it is part of Denmark,” saying seven NATO allies are charged with “protecting” the Arctic from Russia and China.
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