Mark Rutte: European countries are not yet ready for independent military operations without the United States

European countries do not yet have sufficient capabilities to independently conduct military operations if intervention is necessary, for example in the situation in the Middle East, and continue to need US leadership, said NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte.

“Currently, the Europeans do not have the capacity to do this at a sufficient level, so US leadership is still needed,” Rutte said in an interview with Bloomberg, answering a question about what Europe’s response should be to the situation in the Red Sea and the Strait of Hormuz.

At the same time, the NATO Secretary General believes that after the implementation of current investments in defense, European countries should be able to independently conduct such operations without the participation of the United States.

"In the future, after all these investments have been realized and Europe has become much stronger in the coming years, I would like that if a situation arises in the Middle East that requires intervention, the Europeans can do it themselves. It should not be the United States, it should be the Europeans," Rutte said.

Previously, the NATO Secretary General recognized the excessive dependence of European allies on the United States in the field of defense. According to him, Europe, which has a significantly larger population and economic resources, must gradually take greater responsibility for its own defense, while maintaining the United States in the transatlantic alliance.