Look for message behind the threats: Rutte on Trump; Expects he'll attend NATO summit

The United States President Donald Trump may make threatening statements about Greenland or the Panama Canal, for example, but it is mainly the underlying message one should pay attention to, NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte said in the program Buitenhof. He expects Trump will attend the NATO summit in The Hague in June and sees a possibility of peace talks with Russia that don’t involve Europe.

Rutte stressed that in his role as NATO leader, he does not have the freedom to comment on NATO allies. However, he does think that Trump is not overly concerned with getting Greenland, but more broadly about the geopolitical importance of the Arctic. Due to climate change, Russian or Chinese ships will be able to sail through it more easily in the future, which could be a threat to the United States and Europe. The rare minerals found under the Greenland glaciers could also be important for weapons or technology.

Trump shared plans with major geopolitical consequences even before he took office. For example, he has already said that he wants to take over the Panama Canal, incorporate Canada as the 51st state, and take control of the Gaza Strip and turn it into the “Riviera of the Middle East.” That was met with shock and disapproval from many countries.

Rutte did not want to say too much about these plans either. “It is up to others to comment on that. I have to be consistent.” However, he said again that people should look at “what is underneath.”

NATO summit

NATO does not know any better than that Trump will come to The Hague in June for the NATO summit. “We have no other messages,” Rutte said.

Trump and dozens of other leaders of the NATO countries and their allies are expected in The Hague on June 24 and 25 for the summit of the Western military alliance. But the president, who is critical of NATO and is used to asking for something in return for his efforts or even his presence, could stay away if he is dissatisfied with the alliance, NATO followers suggest.

“The assumption is that all leaders will be there,” Rutte said on Sunday.

Peace talks with Russia

Rutte also said he sees a possibility that Europe will not participate in future negotiations on an end to the war in Ukraine. He thinks the United States will certainly play a major role in such peace talks with Russia.

Trump has made it clear that he wants to end that war as soon as possible and Ukraine is also increasingly pushing for peace negotiations. But Rutte insisted on Sunday that it is still unclear what these will look like. He does not want to speculate, because that could play into Russia’s hands.

In European capitals, there is growing concern that Trump will make a deal with his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin without involving Ukraine and Europe. When asked, the Dutch Secretary General of NATO left open the possibility that the European Union and European allies of Ukraine will not sit at the negotiating table.

It is entirely questionable how these negotiations will be shaped,” said Rutte. “You can assume that America will play a major role.”