Reuters on February 18 quoted outgoing Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte, the leading candidate for the next secretary general of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), as saying that Europe "should stop whining about former US President Donald Trump".
"We should stop whining, complaining and complaining about Mr. Trump," Mr. Rutte said on February 17 at the Munich Security Conference in Germany.
Mr Rutte added that after speaking with US politicians in Munich, he was "cautiously optimistic" that the US Congress would pass a decision on further aid to Ukraine.
Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte attends the European Union (EU) summit in Brussels, Belgium on February 1.
Still, he called on Europe to step up support for Ukraine, saying it would benefit the entire continent. He also urged countries in the region to increase defense spending and boost ammunition production, regardless of whether Mr. Trump returns to the White House in 2024.
According to Mr. Rutte, focusing on Mr. Trump's comments only "distracts" NATO's commitment and efforts in Ukraine.
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According to Reuters, Mr. Rutte is the leading candidate to succeed NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg, whose term ends in October. However, Mr. Rutte said he will not campaign for this position.
Mr Stoltenberg was among those criticising Mr Trump's comments this week, saying the former US president's rhetoric "undermines" the security of members.
Former President Trump previously sparked outrage in Europe when he said that if re-elected in November, he would not defend any NATO ally that did not pay enough for defense spending to the alliance.
While Mr. Stoltenberg expressed concern about Mr. Trump's remarks, the former US president's comments sparked a wave of affirmation of NATO member countries' contributions next year.
The head of NATO said that 18 of the alliance's 31 members are on track to meet their commitment to contribute 2% of GDP to the bloc. European countries are on track to contribute $380 billion (£280 billion) this year, and Germany will meet its 2% commitment for the first time since the Cold War, Fox News reported.
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