NATO Chief Mark Rutte on Monday (January 26, 2026) claimed Europe can’t defend itself without US support, even as an American official targeted European nations for buying petroleum products from India, therebuy funding the Russian military operations in Ukraine.
Even as the NATO and US officials were weighing in on these issues, the European Union enacted a law to ban all Russian gas purchases.
What did Rutte say about US on Europe’s defence?
Rutte, speaking to US President Donald Trump repeated his threat on seizing Greenland from Denkark, said, “If anyone thinks here … that the European Union or Europe as a whole can defend itself without the US, keep on dreaming.”
He was addressing the European Parliament’s defence and foreign affairs committees, when he said, “You can’t.” His comments came after Trump’s repeated remarks on Greenland pushed the US-Europe ties on the brink of collapse.
What was Rutte’s warning and appeal to Europe?
Rutte also said, “European pillar (of NATO) is a bit of an empty word,” arguing a European army would create “a lot of duplication” with the alliance. Moreover, Russian President Vladimir “Putin will love it,” he added.
He insisted that the EU should permit Ukraine to use part of its Euro 90 billion loan on buying American weapons, though the regional bloc’s members such as France wants that fund to be used for buying European military systems.
How has Rutte continued his US tunes on NATO?
Rutte’s latest remarks is a continuation of his similar remarks earlier that seemed to push for Europe to continue talking to the US, and calling Trump as being loyal to NATO.
Washington still has a “total commitment” to the alliance’s collective defense, he said. “The U.S. needs NATO.”
Why did Rutte credit Trump for NATO funding?
He credited Trump for NATO nations hiking defence spending to two percent of GDP last year. Without the US, defending Europe would cost a fortune, he added.
“For Europe, if you really want to go it alone … forget that you can ever get there with 5 percent,” Rutte said, referencing a pledge by NATO allies to ramp up their defense spending to 5 percent of GDP by 2035.
“It will be 10 percent,” he argued, and cost “billions and billions of euros” to replace America’s nuclear deterrent.
Why did US official Bessent target Europe over its India ties?
Meanwhile, the US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessant, who has been blowing fire against India for long, criticised the European Union for signing a new Free Trade Agreement with India, while the US had imposed a 25% tariff on New Delhi for buying Russian oil.
On that tone, Bessant accused Europe of funding the Russian war in Ukraine, by buying the refined oil products from India, which used the Russian oil to boost its energy security and oil trade.
What was Bessent’s views on US role in Russia-Ukraine war?
Bessent claimed that Trump was negotiating a Russia-Ukraine deal to end the four-year conflict, and the US had made more sacrifices than Europe in the efforts to end the war.
“We (the US) have put 25% tariffs on India for buying Russial oil. Guess what happened last week? The Europeans signed a trade deal with India,” the Treasury Secretary told an American news channel on Sunday (Janaury 25, 2026).
“And to be clear again, the Russian oil goes into India, the refined products come out, and the Europeans buy the refined products. They are financing the war against themselves,” he claimed, adding the US would “eventually” end the Russia-Ukraine war.
When did EU sign the “mother of all deals” with India?
In New Delhi on Tuesday (January 27), India and European Union announced they had signed the “mother of all deals” FTA after a 10-year negotiations, boosting their economic ties, amidst global trade disruptions due to Trump’s tariffs and sanctions threats.
How has EU banned Russian gas imports?
Yet, the EU on Monday (January 26) approved a law that banned purchase of Russian gas by late 2027, vowing to cut their ties with Moscow’s oil trade after over four years of the war in Ukraine.
EU Ministers met in Brussels to give their nod to the law, though Slovakia and Hungary voted against the resolution, while Bulgaria abstained. Hungary vowed to challenge the law at the European Court of Justice.
What are the deadlines for stopping Russian gas imports?
The law was designed for approval by a reinforced majority, allowing for overcoming opposition from those nations who voted against it as they were heavily dependent on Russian oil for their energy security and wanted to continue their deep ties with Moscow.
The law allows for ending liqufied natural gas imports from Russia by end-2026, extendtable to October 2027, while the piped gas imports by September 2027.
Russia supplied over 40% of EU’s gas requirements till 2021. This dependency dropped to 13% by 2025, according to EU data.