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EU leaders scolded outgoing Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte over his opposition to spending more of the bloc’s budget on upgrading its defense capabilities, Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk claimed Friday.
The question of whether the EU should issue joint debt to finance defense projects was a hot topic at the European Council summit on Thursday, where Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy made an appearance to shore up the EU’s support for his country as it battles Russia’s invasion.
German Chancellor Olaf Scholz and Rutte, both long proponents of tightening the bloc’s fiscal rules, argued against sinking more of EU cash into common funding of defense.
But the other leaders questioned why Rutte of all people, who will take over as secretary-general of NATO in October, would want to stop the bloc from investing in its security, Tusk told journalists on Friday.
“Everybody, almost everybody, loudly reminded Mark Rutte that he will soon take up the role of NATO secretary general, and that he should be doing everything to make sure that Europe spares no money or resources,” Tusk said.
“It was a bit awkward … I saw a blush on his face after everyone pointed out to him: ‘Wait a minute, man, you should be mobilizing everyone to spend more, not less, on defense’,” Tusk added.
Poland spends nearly 4 percent of its GDP on defense expenditure, double the NATO target of 2 percent, making it one of Europe’s biggest military spenders.
“We take on this burden … for the security of all of Europe,” Tusk said, adding he was “really angry” at the arguments he heard against joint spending.
Under Rutte’s 14-year leadership, the Netherlands never met the 2 percent benchmark.
