The NATO chief was frequently called Teflon-Mark during his many years as Prime Minister in the Netherlands, considering how effectively he dodged all scandals and problems.
The same qualities are forcing him to take action now as he is being pressed hard on what the US's tariff threats mean for unity within NATO. In Article 2 of the alliance's treaty, members promise to promote economic cooperation and eliminate economic contradictions.
But Rutte does not want to participate in that discussion.
My role is to be deeply focused on the defense of NATO's territory, and therefore I do not comment on these issues. And I do not think that this breaks Article 2, he says at his press conference after the week's foreign minister meeting in Brussels.
At the same time, he is also trying to pour oil on potential waves of concern about how committed the US really is to NATO.
It's time to stop worrying about them leaving NATO. They won't do it. Let's get the blood pressure down. There are so many other things to worry about, says Rutte.
The North Atlantic Treaty from 1949 is the cornerstone of what NATO countries promise each other and is most known for Article 5, which states that an attack on one country shall be considered an attack on all.
Less well-known is Article 2, where countries also promise to contribute to "friendly international relations".
"They shall strive to eliminate contradictions in their international economic policy, and they shall promote economic cooperation between individual parties or all parties", it says, among other things.
Source: Nato.int
