In his first public discussion with MEPs from the Foreign Affairs Committee, Subcommittee on Security and Defence and Parliament’s delegation for relations with the NATO Parliamentary Assembly since taking office as NATO Secretary General, Mr Rutte said he is deeply concerned about the security situation in Europe. “We are not at war, but we are not at peace either,” he said, mentioning challenges from states such as Russia, China, Iran and North Korea, but also lingering threats in the form of terrorism, nuclear proliferation, disinformation and climate change.

He said, however, that: “We know how to protect our peoples and the European way of life (…), now we just have to do it”, talking about the need to invest more in defence capabilities and assets, to boost resilience and to continue supporting Ukraine. A stronger European defence means spending more, spending better and producing more, Mr Rutte argued, not to provoke war, but to prevent it. “NATO’s current…