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NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte said Wednesday that the United States remains "completely committed" to the alliance, even as he acknowledged an expectation that European allies and Canada equalize defense spending with Washington.
"There is complete commitment of the United States to NATO. But there's also an expectation that the Europeans and the Canadians will equalize their spending with the United States, which, I think, is completely fair," Rutte told journalists at the opening of the NATO Ankara summit.
Rutte said President Donald Trump had succeeded in equalizing defense spending between Europe and the United States, a goal he said American presidents have pursued since Dwight Eisenhower.
"President Trump has been able to finally get done what, since Eisenhower, American presidents tried to do, which was to equalize defense spending between Europe and the United States," Rutte said during doorstep remarks ahead of the summit.
Rutte called the summit's opening day "a great success," saying it produced a large rollout of new contracts and commitments.
He said the alliance had already reached 4% of the 5% spending target this year, a development he called "truly extraordinary," crediting both the threat from Russia and Trump's pressure on European allies and Canada.
"This summit, as I always said, is about implementation, getting it done," Rutte said, contrasting it with last year's summit in the Hague, which he said focused on "planning and targeting."
Rutte stressed the need for a stronger Europe within the alliance under what he called the "NATO 3.0" vision, and reiterated the alliance's commitment to collective defense.
"This alliance of 1 billion people living in Europe, living in Canada, living in the United States ... will defend every inch of our territory. You cannot win from NATO. We are defensive. We will never attack anyone. We will only defend our way of life, our democracies, our territory. So don't fool with us, don't play with us," Rutte said.
He said he expects allies to jointly affirm two points on Wednesday: that Iran should never obtain nuclear weapons capability, and that freedom of navigation must be preserved, calling the full reopening of the Strait of Hormuz "of vital strategic importance" to all 32 allies.
He said he also expects allies to formally recognize Russia as a long-term threat to NATO territory in the summit's final communique.
Asked whether the U.S. remains fully committed to NATO amid Trump's renewed calls to take control of Greenland and questions over troop withdrawals from Europe, Rutte said the commitment was not in doubt.
"He is completely determined about the United States' commitment to NATO. I do not doubt this," Rutte said, adding that NATO serves U.S. interests directly, including preventing Russian nuclear submarines from reaching American shores.
He said the alliance had a good process underway regarding Denmark and Greenland, and described Trump's pressure on European spending as a win for Trump and a loss for Russian President Vladimir Putin.
Rutte also said allies should ensure that China and Russia do not gain access to the Arctic.
Rutte said continued support for Ukraine remains critical and that he expects allies to renew multiyear commitments on Wednesday.
"I expect that we will leave here with a strong commitment to continue to support Ukraine," he said.
The summit, hosted by Türkiye, opened Tuesday with leaders from NATO's 32 member states, several Asia-Pacific partners and guests, including Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.
The first day was dominated by the NATO Defense Industry Forum, where Rutte announced new alliance projects, while countries and companies signed on to new initiatives in space and surveillance, strike capabilities, and integrated air and missile defense.
Zelenskyy, Turkish Vice President Cevdet Yilmaz and Defense Minister Yasar Guler also spoke at the forum.
President Recep Tayyip Erdogan held a series of meetings on Tuesday, including with Trump.
At a joint news conference, Trump signaled the U.S. could lift sanctions on Türkiye under the Countering America's Adversaries Through Sanctions Act (CAATSA), while Erdogan said he expected a favorable decision from the leaders' summit on Türkiye's F-35 status.
Erdogan also met separately with Finnish President Alexander Stubb and Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney. He and First Lady Emine Erdogan hosted a dinner and reception for visiting leaders and spouses at the Presidential Complex, attended by NATO members and AP4 partners Australia, Japan, New Zealand and South Korea.
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