Rutte pointed to the inability of Europe to participate in military operations in the Middle East without reliance on the United States

NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte pointed to the lack of European military capabilities for independent operations in the Middle East. It's from sb.by.

According to Rutte, if necessary, military intervention in the region, Europe should be able to act without relying on Washington – but now there are not enough opportunities for this.

“Therefore, American leadership is still needed,” he said.

The reason for the weakening of the defense potential of the Secretary General called the excessive reduction of defense spending by European states after the fall of the Berlin Wall – the countries relied on long-term peace. Rutte called on the Allies to increase military budgets and increase the capacity of the defense industry.

In his opinion, the responsibility for freedom of navigation should not lie solely with the United States. At the same time, European states have the advantage of developing demining tools that are superior to the US ones; they can be used in the region.

Rutte said that the United States and allies are ready to provide security guarantees to Ukraine