On Friday 22 May in Helsinborg, the Foreign Ministers of the NATO countries discussed the future of NATO, at a time when the United States is confusing its allies with contradictory announcements about its presence in Europe.
At the end of the meeting, the Secretary General explained that, in a more dangerous world, the Allies were working actively to build a stronger Alliance. An Alliance where the burden will be shared more equally, where the Alliance will be less dependent on a single member – the United States – and which will therefore be more European. “At a time when the United States of America is assessing the level of its commitment and presence on the European continent, this is precisely the opportunity for France and Europeans to develop their vision and capabilities. In short, to Europeanise NATO”, stressed French Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot on his arrival at the meeting.
“What you will see in the years to come is a gradual and more balanced change, with the Europeans assuming greater responsibility, while the United States remains firmly anchored in the Transatlantic Alliance”, stressed the organisation’s Secretary General, Mark Rutte.
While a few days ago the United States announced the withdrawal of 5,000 troops from Germany, cancelled the deployment of 4,000 troops and indicated that it might reduce the resources mobilised to assist the European nations of the Alliance in the event of a major crisis (see EUROPE 13871/5), US President Donald Trump declared on Thursday 21 May that his country would finally be sending “5,000 additional troops” to Poland. An announcement welcomed by several Allies.
Despite this U.S. U-turn, U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio stressed that “the Alliance agreed that the U.S. military presence in Europe would be adjusted”. “This work was already underway and was carried out in coordination with our Allies”, he explained. And to acknowledge: “I’m not saying they’ll be happy about it, but they’re certainly aware of it”.
A number of Ministers admitted that these reductions in US troops had been widely anticipated and said that the most important thing was that they were carried out in a structured way.
According to the NATO Secretary General, for the Alliance to remain ready to ensure the deterrence and defence of its members, it is necessary to invest in defence, develop the necessary capabilities and maintain support for Ukraine.
So, while the Allies pledged to spend more on defence at the Hague Summit in June 2025, the funding must now be converted into equipment. “We are simply not in a position today to produce the ammunition needed to meet future requirements. This is a problem that needs to be resolved”, acknowledged Marco Rubio, promoting cooperation. “This is essential not only for production, but also for interoperability”, he explained.
To try to remedy the production difficulties, “an intense debate is under way between the defence industry and the financial sector to ensure that everyone takes the necessary measures to increase production, not by raising prices, but by producing more”, stressed Mr Rutte, pointing out that this subject would be one of the priorities of the Ankara Summit.
Ukraine. On Thursday, the Ministers met their Ukrainian counterpart to discuss support for Ukraine.
“We need to ensure that they have the resources they need to continue the fight. And this also requires funding. And to ensure that this money and this support are distributed as fairly as possible among the Allies”, explained Mr Rutte, regretting that at present “only six or seven Allies are providing the bulk of the effort”.
“Before the Ankara Summit, we hope that an instrument will be put in place to distribute support for Ukraine fairly and responsibly. This support cannot be left to just a few Allies”, said Lithuania’s Kęstutis Budrys. On Wednesday, Mr Rutte admitted that his proposal to support each Ally to the tune of 0.25% of GDP had not been met with consensus.
NATO’s Secretary General also announced that, as in The Hague, he had invited the Ukrainian President, Volodymyr Zelensky, to attend the Ankara Summit. “He will be there”, he said.
Middle East. The Ministers also discussed the situation in the Strait of Hormuz. On Thursday, before arriving in Sweden, the US Secretary of State criticised NATO countries for “refusing to do anything” to support the United States in its war with Iran.
“I think the Europeans have got the message”, replied Mr Rutte on Friday, explaining that many European countries were making sure that some of their essential vessels and equipment were pre-positioned close to the area of operations, for example mine clearance equipment, mine clearance vessels, and automated mine clearance systems. “So, in the next phase, we will be able to provide maximum assistance to the United States as European Allies in order to guarantee freedom of navigation”, he promised. “Security challenges are increasingly interdependent, and allies and partners have every interest in working closely and proactively together”, added the Secretary General.
Arctic. Following a meeting on the sidelines of the ministerial, the Arctic Allies – Canada, the Kingdom of Denmark, “including Greenland and the Faroe Islands”, Finland, Iceland, Norway, Sweden, and the United States – agreed that “in the face of new opportunities and challenges”, close cooperation between these countries on Arctic security and economic development was “more important than ever”.
They instructed their experts to step up coordination on issues relating to economic development and the exploitation of resources in the Arctic, “in particular research safety, investment control, and the modernisation and protection of essential infrastructure”.
The Allies also reiterated that they were strengthening their military presence, surveillance capabilities and joint exercises in the Arctic and the Far North, acting “in a coordinated and progressive manner”. (Original version in French by Camille-Cerise Gessant)