NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte pushed back on U.S. President Donald Trump’s doubt that allies would come to his country’s defense if it triggered Article 5, saying he had “no doubt” that they would, as they had done before. Under NATO’s Article 5, an attack on one member is considered an attack on all, ensuring collective defense if an ally invokes it.
There are fractures in the NATO alliance over Trump’s aggressive push to take control of the self-governing Arctic island of Greenland from Denmark. He has hinted at military action if he cannot secure sovereignty over Greenland diplomatically, insisting that the U.S. must have the strategic island because it is vital to national security.
The Greenland clash has called into question the future of NATO. But Trump argues that NATO would be stronger if the U.S. had control of Greenland because it could better deter Russian and Chinese activities in the high north. He has also taken credit for forcing allies to increase their defense spending, bolstering NATO, which he says the U.S. is committed to.
“The U.S. is by far the most powerful nation on Earth, and the United States is therefore the leader of the free world,” Rutte said on a panel at the World Economic Forum’s annual gathering in Davos on Wednesday, where Trump is due to speak later in the day.
“And you cannot envision NATO without the leader of the free world being an integral part of that organization. And nobody wants it. Not on the U.S. side, not on the European side.
“[Trump] said last night in his presser that he was doubtful whether the Europeans would come to the rescue if Article 5 will be triggered. I tell him: Yes, they will. They did on the 11th of September, 9/11, in 2001, when for the first and only time Article 5 was triggered.
“I’ve no doubt the U.S. will come to the rescue here. We will come to the rescue of the U.S. And we need each other for our collective protection.”
This is a breaking news story. Updates to follow.
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