NATO Secretary-General Says Europe Can’t Defend Itself Without US Help

Mark Rutte dismissed the notion of a separate European army and continued to praise Donald Trump for encouraging NATO members to increase defense spending.

NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte arrives to address committees of the European Union Parliament in Brussels on Jan. 26, 2026. Photo by Omar Havana/Getty Images

NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte told European Union parliamentarians on Jan. 26 that they cannot defend Europe without the help of the United States.

“If anyone thinks here, again, that the European Union, or Europe as a whole, can defend itself without the U.S., keep on dreaming. You can’t. We can’t,” Rutte told the European Parliament’s defense committee in Brussels.