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22:12 GMT
BRUSSELS, Jan 13 (KUNA) -- NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte said on Tuesday that Arctic security is a key strategic issue requiring close coordination between NATO, the European Union and the United States.
This came in a meeting with members of the European Parliament's Committee on Foreign Affairs and Subcommittee on Security and Defence in Strasbourg, where Rutte also stressed that Europe's continued reliance on the US security umbrella must be matched by a significant increase in European defence spending.
He warned that talk of building a European defence structure independent from NATO or the United States in the near term is a "political illusion" given the existing gaps in capabilities and military spending.
He noted that the United States currently accounts for more than 60 percent of total defence spending across NATO territory, while the other 31 Allies together contribute less than 40 percent.
This imbalance cannot continue if Europe wants to maintain its security credibility, he emphasized.
Rutte said that creating an independent "European NATO" would in practice require raising defence spending to between 8 and 10 percent of GDP and developing independent nuclear deterrence capabilities, a process that could take 15 to 20 years, which he described as unrealistic under current security conditions.
On the Arctic, Rutte underlined that the region should be approached as an increasingly important strategic theatre amid geopolitical and climate-related changes.
He pointed out that the focus should be on safeguarding stability and security rather than on issues of sovereignty or control.
He welcomed Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen's approach to the debate on Greenland, saying she had correctly reframed it around Arctic security and coordination within NATO and between the EU and the United States.
Rutte reaffirmed his confidence in continued US commitment to NATO, saying that "Europe can rely on the United States" and that there is no reason to fear a US withdrawal from the Alliance. At the same time, he urged EU countries to shoulder a greater share of the defense burden to remove long-standing US arguments about unfair burden-sharing.
He added that higher European defense spending must mean not only "spending more" but also "spending better," through joint procurement, innovation and faster military production.
Rutte laid it bare that the current 2 percent of GDP benchmark is no longer sufficient to meet future threats.
He warned that while Europe is safe today, it may not be so in four or five years if decisive action is not taken now, underlining that stronger defence capabilities, sustained US engagement in NATO and transatlantic unity remain essential pillars of security for both Europe and the Arctic. (end)
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