On November 8, Russia's Foreign Ministry said that the new US security doctrine marked the first instance that Washington officially questioned NATO's aggressive expansionist dynamics.
"As the Secretary General, my main focus is to make sure that alliance as a whole is safe," Rutte said during a press conference with German Chancellor Friedrich Merz in Berlin, when asked about his stance on NATO's expansion following the release of the NSS.
He believes that the US will remain committed to the collective security of the nations within the alliance, despite the new doctrine.
"When I through that lens look at the NSS, it clearly states that the US is committed to Europe, to keep Europe safe. The US is committed to NATO and it also acknowledges that for the whole of the alliance to stay safe, you need a strong cooperation within NATO, between the European allies and Canada and the United States," Rutte said.
Last Friday, the White House released a new US national security strategy, calling on Europe to take responsibility for its own defense. Among other things, the strategy highlighted the problems of overregulation, mass immigration and censorship in the EU.