‘Good Luck’ Without the U.S. [WATCH]

Mark Rutte said Europe cannot defend itself without the United States and warned against attempts to pursue independent defense strategies that would undermine NATO and risk losing American security guarantees.

In remarks addressing the transatlantic alliance, Rutte emphasized the mutual dependence between the U.S. and Europe, arguing that NATO remains essential not only for European security but also for American national interests.

He said recent actions by President Donald Trump should be understood within that broader strategic reality.

Warning: Account balances and purchasing power no longer tell the same story. Know in 2 minutes if your retirement is working for you.

“So when President Trump is doing good stuff, I will place him and I don’t mind him publishing text messages,” Rutte said.

Rutte rejected claims that Europe could provide for its own defense without U.S. involvement, calling such views unrealistic.

“And if anyone thinks here again, that the European Union, or Europe as a whole, can defend itself without the US, keep on dreaming. You can’t. We can’t. We need each other,” he said.

According to Rutte, NATO is not simply a legacy institution tied to past wars but a current necessity for U.S. security interests, particularly in Europe and the Arctic. He said American participation in NATO reflects strategic self-interest, not charity.

This Could Be the Most Important Video Gun Owners Watch All Year

“And why do we need each other? I tell you, first of all, because also the US needs NATO,” Rutte said.

He referenced historical warnings about U.S. disengagement from Europe, noting that NATO exists in part to prevent a repeat of past conflicts that ultimately drew the United States back into European wars.

“And us is not only in NATO to prevent a mistake after the second after the First World War, not to re engage with Europe and then again, the long arm of history reaching out to the US again in the Second World War, as Churchill famously said in his speech in 1941 in the US Congress,” Rutte said.

Rutte said the alliance also plays a direct role in modern security challenges, particularly in the Arctic and the broader Euro-Atlantic region.

“They are also in NATO because for the US to stay safe, and by the way, Arctic region is evidence here, they need a secure Arctic. They need a secure Euro Atlantic, and they also need a secure Europe,” he said.

He added that NATO benefits the United States just as much as it benefits European allies and Canada.

“So the US has every interest in NATO, as much as Canada and the European NATO NATO allies,” Rutte said.

Rutte also issued a warning to European leaders who argue for strategic independence from the United States, particularly proposals suggesting Europe could defend itself through increased spending alone.

“But for Europe, if you really want to go with a loan, and those who you are planning for that, forget that you can never get there with 5% it will be 10%,” he said.

He said any serious attempt by Europe to replace U.S. security guarantees would require developing its own nuclear deterrent, an undertaking he described as extraordinarily costly and destabilizing.

“You have to build up your own nuclear capability. That costs billions and billions of euros,” Rutte said.

Rutte warned that such a path would come with severe consequences, including the loss of what he described as Europe’s most important security protection.

“You will lose. Then, in that scenario, you would lose the ultimate guarantor of our freedom, which is the US nuclear umbrella,” he said.

He concluded by dismissing the idea that Europe could successfully pursue such a course.

“So, hey, good luck,” Rutte said.

WATCH: