Keynote speech

NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte

Thank you, Mr. Secretary, Mr. President of Montenegro, Ambassadors, Excellencies, ladies and gentlemen, good morning to everyone.

On September 11th this year, as every year, the flags outside NATO Headquarters in Brussels were lowered half-mast. Men and women, civilian and military, gathered around the twisted piece of steel from the 107th floor of the World Trade Center's North Tower, which sits at the entrance of NATO Headquarters. It is a daily reminder of the tragedy of terrorism and a daily testament to the solidarity that is the core of the NATO Alliance.

September 11, 2001. It has been 25 years, and yet I remember it like it was yesterday, and so many of us do. My life was very different then. I was at work, not at NATO, not in politics, but in my office at Unilever in the Netherlands. I watched in shock with the rest of the world the dramatic images as events unfolded here in America. The planes flying into the Twin Towers, another crashing into the Pentagon, and of course the one we didn't see, the one that crashed into a field in Pennsylvania. I remember the billowing smoke, and the horror, the destruction, and the disbelief, and like so many others, I sought to make sense of these totally senseless attacks in community with friends. Who did this? Why? How is this possible? What now? Two weeks later, I travelled to New York on a business trip, and what I saw then will stay with me forever. There were American flags everywhere, cars and trucks clearing up the debris. I was moved by all the letters, photos, and flowers I saw by a small church in NoHo, somewhere between Chinatown and Washington Square, and by all the people asking each other the simple but essential question: "How are you?"

Now, New Yorkers are not always known for their warmth and friendliness. This is a city where things get done, and you are either the one doing them, or you are the one in the way. But in that moment, what I saw was an outpouring of care, like I've never witnessed before. I saw the very best of humanity. It was deeply moving. 25 years later, those experiences remain deeply etched in my memory. Cliff, I am so honoured to be here at the Memorial Museum today. This is such a powerful place of remembrance. The 9/11 attacks changed countless individual lives forever, and they changed the world. But some things never change, no matter how hard they are hit. The energy of this city and its people, the courage of America's heroes, the solidarity of America's friends.

On 9/11, America was not alone. Your Allies in NATO stood with you. For the first and only time in NATO's history, we invoked Article 5 of our founding treaty, the solemn promise to defend one another, that an attack against one is an attack against all. America was attacked, and that meant we all were, and we responded together, because that's who we are. In the months that followed, 9/11, NATO planes helped to patrol American airspace, helping to meet one of the most pressing needs: keeping the skies safe. We deployed to the Mediterranean to ensure that terrorists weren't able to move resources that might enable another attack. And when the United States went into Afghanistan, troops from other NATO Allies and other partner countries deployed with you. They stood, shoulder to shoulder, with their American brothers and sisters. They served together, fought together, and many paid the ultimate price. Indeed, one out of every three heroes who laid down their lives in Afghanistan came from one of your NATO Allies and partners.

In the 25 years since that fateful morning, no attack of that scale has taken place on American soil. This is due squarely to the bravery of US and Allied service members, intelligence professionals, and diplomats who worked together to protect the freedoms we hold dear. This is solidarity. Today, NATO Allies continue to stand with the United States. 31 friends and Allies committed to a common cause and invested in ensuring we can continue to deliver on our core task, keeping our 1 billion people across this great Alliance safe. Because while our security environment has changed since 2001, the threats we face remain real, whether from terrorist groups or from states who seek to cause chaos, stoke instability, and undermine our way of life.

We see it in Ukraine every day. Russia's brutal attacks against innocent Ukrainians are unrelenting, and our own nations are targeted too through cyber attacks, sabotage, arson, airspace incursions, and more. We also face a dangerous Iran, an assertive China, and a nuclear North Korea. In the face of these and other challenges, NATO is building up its defences. Because to preserve our freedom and security, we need to be prepared. Peace through strength. America is strong. It remains the world's greatest power. But America does not have to go it alone. America's Allies in NATO are with you, and they are stepping up, getting stronger, and taking on more responsibility, so that the responsibility for our security is more fairly shared.

Europe and Canada are investing more in their own defence; they are expanding their armed forces, ramping up defence production, accelerating innovation, and providing crucial support to Ukraine, whose security is closely linked to our own. And all of this to ensure that we have what we need to deter aggression and defend what matters. We know we can do this best together. No one should ever doubt our resolve. That was true 25 years ago. It is true today. We remain united in our determination to safeguard freedom, protect from aggression, and ensure an attack like 9/11 will never ever happen again. Thank you.

Clifford Chanin, Director of the 9/11 Memorial Museum

Thank you, Mr. Secretary General. It's an honour to have you here. Good morning, ladies and gentlemen. My name is Clifford Channon. I'm the director of the museum. We are honoured to welcome you here. I just want to point out that as you come up and down the stairs, you will notice a number of flags hanging above you, more than 90 flags from countries and territories, all of whom lost someone on 9/11. It was truly an international event, and the response was truly international. And we thank you for being here, Mr. Secretary General. Your words on the 25th anniversary are particularly meaningful, considering the situation in the world today. As you well know, better than anyone, the Alliance has come under strain in recent years. The question that you evoke of the 'resolve' of the Allies to work with one another in a common defence, has been questioned. Let me ask you about the relationship between the United States and NATO at this point in time.

NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte

That relationship is, as we speak at this moment, extremely strong. When I came into office, a month later, President Trump was re-elected, Trump 47, and we know each other very well from when he was Trump 45, and I was Prime Minister of the Netherlands. And I knew what would be coming, and it was a president who was totally committed to NATO, but also totally frustrated with the fact that NATO Allies are not spending enough, that Europe and Canada are doing it on the cheap. Things had improved thanks to him also, and Obama before him. So, we had a trajectory of spending more, but it was not nearly enough. And my predecessor, Jens Stoltenberg, had started a process in NATO where, based on facts and deep knowledge, we agreed on what we collectively need to do to be able to defend ourselves, and these two things came together. So, the re-election of President Trump and the fact that we had this internal process, what was needed, if ever Article 5 will be triggered, to defend ourselves. And we know from that study, which our defence ministers agreed a year later, that we have to spend much more than the old 2%. That it had to be somewhere between 3.4 and 3.6%, ballpark 3.5% on core defence spending, plus everything you need to do to make sure your societies are ready, you are well prepared. So the total of 5%. So these two things coming together, the force of this president, and I can tell you, he makes his views known quite clearly. And the fact that we had this internal process in place, which led us to the deep understanding of what needed to be done, came together. This is equalising defence spending between Europe, Canada, and the US. It is making us all stronger, and we need to do this because we know that our adversaries are building up their armed forces rapidly.

Clifford Chanin, Director of the 9/11 Memorial Museum

The question of the resolve of the Alliance is something that presumably our opponents are testing, and I wonder if you have seen an impact on their outreach into NATO lands because of these tensions, we will talk something about the Russian efforts and the hybrid war that is underway. But is this tension within NATO causing more probes to see just how resolved NATO is?

NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte

I think the Russians have made the calculation that NATO is strong and cannot be defeated. That we are united because they will move beyond the usual chatter of who is discussing what and when, etc. So, the Russians know we will defend every inch of Allied territory. And look what's happening now in the fight against Ukraine. This unprovoked war of aggression against Ukraine, the Russians are, today, this month, losing over 40,000 of their own people, 43,000 to be precise, dead or seriously wounded, a month in the fight, in this totally crazy fight against Ukraine, and that, of course, is with support from NATO Allies, not people fighting there, but making sure that Ukraine has the weapons, including air defence systems, etc. in place to defend themselves and to be able to protect their interests. And yes, it is true that in the meantime, Russia is doing more and more when it comes to the cyber etc domain. But hey, NATO is ready for this. We plan to prepare for this. We have all the response options. Only problem is they are not always public, so we cannot always talk about it. They are not always symmetrical. It's not always tit for tat, but I can assure you the Russians know. And one example, the shadow fleet, this fleet of leaking old tankers trying to still get some of the oil export going from Russia, is increasingly being slowed down because of actions of Allies like Sweden and UK, France, Belgium, and others, and they don't like it. So we have all these response options in place. So when it comes to hybrid, to make sure that we stay strong.

Clifford Chanin, Director of the 9/11 Memorial Museum

Let me ask about the agreement that was just announced, not in detail, though nonetheless announced in terms of settling the issue with Greenland, what can you tell us about it, and what has been the impact of the tensions around Greenland with the Danes and others on the NATO Alliance?

NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte

Well, I think it is a good agreement. Basically, what happened since January is two things. One is an agreement within NATO that there is an issue when it comes to the High North, the Arctic, and we see these countries working together. That's the United States and Canada with the five European Allies who are bordering on the Arctic, but with the full backup and support of the other Allies. And since early February, we have this special, what we call sentry, Arctic Sentry, launched by our Supreme Allied Commander to protect the whole of the High North. So this is the collective endeavour, also reacting to President Trump's, I think, rightly stated aim of preventing the Russians and the Chinese from getting access to the Arctic territory, and there is that risk. China is not bordering on the Arctic. Russia is, but China is also increasingly more active in the Arctic region. And specifically, when it comes to Greenland, it had to be solved this issue, that if ever Greenland would become independent, if that would happen, we don't know, but it might opt for independence in the future, how do you make sure that whatever agreements the United States has with Denmark and Greenland will stay in place and are valid long term? Because Greenland, of course, is a huge part of the Arctic, important and also important for the defence of the homeland, of the U.S. mainland. So they have solved that. Now, with the signing of that deal this week, and it has been applauded by the two prime ministers of Denmark, of Greenland, and of course by the American president. And I think it is a very solid agreement. So this is now solved, and again, sometimes we will have difficult debates, and also President Trump will make his views absolutely and abundantly clear, but then things move, and things have moved here in a positive direction, solving this issue.

Clifford Chanin, Director of the 9/11 Memorial Museum

I would like to ask you about Ukraine in greater detail. You related the shocking numbers of Russian casualties, yet that doesn't seem to be stopping them in terms of their intention to continue this war. Give us an assessment of the state of the battle right now, with all of the technology involved -the drones, the attacks deep into either country by the other. Where are we in this war? Is it a stalemate? Is one side moving? Is there a prospect for some kind of resolution?

NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte

Well, let's first acknowledge that Putin had learned from his senior generals that he would solve this whole thing in two or three weeks. They even had planned a big celebration in Moscow. It was, I think, four or five days after the full-scale invasion, that celebration still has not happened. In the meantime, the losses are staggering, 43,000. The United States lost tragically almost 60,000 people in Vietnam in 14 years. This is 43,000 in a month. The Soviets lost 20,000 in 10 years in Afghanistan. Now we are talking of 43,000 in a month. So when you compare it to these other big events, these are staggering, staggering numbers. Ukrainians are much better at the moment when it comes to hitting some of the crucial infrastructure deep inside Russia and in maintaining the front line, and crucial here, of course, is Kramatorsk, Slovyansk, and some of these cities in Donetsk, to make sure that these fortified cities stay in Ukrainian hands. And now the assumption is that it will be very difficult for the Russians to capture those places. Much more difficult than only one or two years ago was the assessment. On the other hand, of course, Ukraine is experiencing the pummelling of its cities, of its infrastructure by Russian missiles, by Russian drones, and this is why I'm telling my European colleagues and Canadian colleagues, and the US is helping here with delivering crucial gear into Ukraine, paid for by the Canadians and the Europeans, to keep on supporting Ukraine, and whenever we worry about whatever happens in the hybrid domain, hey, again, we plan to prepare for that. But if you really want to give a signal to the Russians on every hybrid incident, hybrid attack, and whatever it is, more support for Ukraine. As Radek Sikorski said the other day, the Polish Foreign Minister, if there is a hybrid attack, we will give more money for PURL, which is this system where the US provides key military support for Ukraine, paid for the Canadians and Europeans, and of course what the Canadians, Europeans are doing bilaterally. That's the best reaction because the Ukrainians need that, but Ukraine is in a much better place now than only half a year or a year ago.

Clifford Chanin, Director of the 9/11 Memorial Museum

Are you sensing any fatigue within the Alliance about the length of the war, the cost of the war, and just some effort to get this over?

NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte

This war is now going on longer than the United States was involved in the Second World War. It's longer than Russia was fighting in the Second World War after Hitler invaded, tried to invade the Soviet Union. So, it takes long, and of course that in itself, is taking a toll. But on the other hand, what I sense in Europe, in the Canada, in the United States, it's the absolute realisation that the Ukrainians are fighting a heroic fight. That it is crucial that Russia is not successful in capturing that country. That we have to bring this war to an honourable peace, and that Ukraine has to be in the strongest possible position whenever one Vladimir Vladimirovich Putin is willing to engage in such talks, and again, it is the United States leading that effort, and it is only the United States at the moment which can do that, with support from Europeans. But the fact that Jared Kushner and Steve Witkoff and Marco Rubio are on this is crucially important because, in the end, those are the people the Russians listen to.

Clifford Chanin, Director of the 9/11 Memorial Museum

So, of course, the Ukrainians are in a position of great need in relation to the Alliance. But the development of war fighting through the new technologies has actually been something that they have taken the lead in. What's coming back into the Alliance from the experience of the Ukrainians in fighting this war, because this war, at least in current assessments, would very much look like whatever else might happen in Europe, if another war were to break out.

NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte

Yes, obviously, if NATO would be at war with Russia, we have other means to make our views known to the Russians, more than Ukraine can do at the moment, so there will be a difference. But you are totally right that we have to take into account these new insights in modern warfare, and this is drones and counter drone technology, for example. But also how AI is now, artificial intelligence, as part of the whole war effort, and we are capturing those lessons. So, we have a joint NATO-Ukraine organisation in Poland, which captures all the lessons from the war, making sure that we figure out what it is, make sure that they are part of our defence plans. And just to give you one example, I think only one or two years ago, we would think that you have to mass produce drones in advance, have them on the shelf if war breaks out. Increasingly, the realisation is yes, you need to have the drone technology, but better to have the drone production capacity than to produce the drones already, because these drones, in terms of their impact and quality, they change almost every six to nine months, and also the counter drone technology has to change. Take, for example, the jet-powered drones the Russians are now using, the Ukrainians are using. A new development in the last two three months, which shows you that if you would have produced them in mass and put them on a shelf, they would have been obsolete by now. So, all these insights we capture to make sure that we stay ahead and don't forget, NATO is so much bigger and stronger than Russia. We can do this, but we have to learn from Ukraine, and that's what we exactly what we are doing. And also helping Ukraine in sharing some of our insights in modern warfare. Obviously, we can still help them, but they're also helping us, and we have to absolutely take those lessons into account. That's what we are doing.

Clifford Chanin, Director of the 9/11 Memorial Museum

Do you ultimately envision at some outcome here, security guarantees, whether NATO membership or something else for Ukraine, because not just of the threat from the Russians, but also because now the increasing integration of the Ukrainian military experience into the NATO Alliance.

NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte

Well, in the end, it is up to Zelenskyy and his team to decide what a peace deal would look like and how far they want to go. I mean, I cannot decide this for the Ukrainians, but what they know is that their Allies, including the United States, are ready to provide the necessary security guarantees, and basically, already in January, under the leadership of President Emmanuel Macron in Paris, we agreed on a whole package of security guarantees. So that's ready and done, and basically can be implemented the moment that it will be necessary. So that's the good news, with the full back up and back stops, and so we know basically all the details who is going to do what in case of a peace deal, to make sure that security guarantees are in place. Because we have to make sure that if there is an outcome of this terrible war, and rather sooner than later, I think everybody is praying for that, it has to be such that the Russians will never ever try to attack Ukraine again, because otherwise this is a sort of forever conflict, and we cannot have that.

Clifford Chanin, Director of the 9/11 Memorial Museum

Let's talk about the threat as it is now seeping into Europe. A number of warnings have come public recently. President Zelensky at the United Nations the other day warned about this possible spread into Europe. You have evoked various hybrid threats that have been acted upon by the Russians. President Macron in Paris convened all of the leaders of the parliamentary groups to tell them of the gravity of the political situation there and the threats that are coming. The military leadership associated with NATO and some of the Allied countries has spoken quite harshly and frankly about being prepared for war. What is your assessment of the risk of a war, a broader war in Europe with the Russians?

NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte

Well, even up to today, we have seen, for example, the Danish intelligence service bringing out today that it is highly unlikely that Russia will mount a full-scale invasion of NATO territory. They'd better not, because they know we are ready and they will not win that. So, I think the Danish intelligence is right there, that's highly unlikely. Still, we cannot be naive. Russia is massively building up its production, its armed forces. At the moment, for example, industry in Russia - not defence industry but the general industrial base - is producing for the war effort. This is something we still have to develop further in Europe and in the United States. Don't forget, in this country, cars in the United States were at least three years old at the end of the Second World War because your big automobile companies, car producing companies like General Motors and Ford, etc, they were producing for the war effort and not producing cars. So, this gives you evidence that it might be crucial over time to think about how we can mobilise the general industrial base, also when it comes to producing for our defence. So this is Russia, we cannot be naive. They are massively ramping up their production. They are spending 12% of their national income on defence. They spend almost 50% of their state budget on defence, so this is all true. But hey, we are stronger, and my message to the Europeans and Canadians, and to the whole of NATO is a couple of things. First of all, stay calm because we know what's happening. Putin is in a bad place. He is losing all these people. He is not winning the war in Ukraine. So, if I was Vladimir Putin, and I know the guy a little bit because we had many conversations until he invaded Crimea, I think he is on the verge of being a little bit panicky. He cannot be happy at the moment because things are not moving in the right direction for him, and the impact on his economy, on Russia is huge at the moment of this mistake of invading Ukraine. So, stay calm because he knows we are stronger, and if he would ever try to, we are a defensive Alliance, we will never mount a first attack, but if he would try to move against us, he knows we will defend every inch of NATO territory. Secondly, carry on because what we are doing in NATO is ramping up the defence spend. Take Germany, which is now spending twice as much in 2029 compared to 2021, over 150 billion dollars or euros - I think it's dollars, yes - in defence spending. So, these are huge numbers, and it's crucial that we do this. Yes, to make sure we equalise with the United States, but also because it is necessary to spend that money on our defence. So, carry on. And then when it comes to Ukraine, keep Ukraine strong, and for every hybrid or whatever incident, as I said, make sure that Ukraine is not getting less, it's getting more money. So, we need some steely resolve. Our message is we have got it, we are prepared. The steely resolve is there, and they cannot win. And particularly when it comes to hybrid, all the response options are there, and we will use whatever we need.

Clifford Chanin, Director of the 9/11 Memorial Museum

Well, let me ask what you can tell us about the response to the hybrid attacks, because we read about the armed drone in Germany, the incursions into Poland and into the Baltic states. I mean, these are, these are frequent even occurrences at this point, probing, testing, also trying to see what the response is. What is the response? Is NATO doing enough in response to these efforts?

NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte

Absolutely, but again, it's not always public. First of all, when something like that happens, we will decide how we will respond at a time of our choosing, in the manner we want, which has the biggest impact. Sometimes we will see it. So, when the Russians were cutting undersea sea cable between Finland and Estonia in around Christmas 2024, this led to a collective endeavour by NATO Allies in the Baltic region. Again, a Sentry launched by the Supreme Allied Commander, where we were able to protect our undersea infrastructure, crucial infrastructure, where we were protecting the Baltic Sea. The Russians hate it because this poses a lot of cost on them, and the spin-off from that is that, increasingly they find it difficult to continue with their shadow fleet activities because more and more Allies are interfering there in a manner which they don't like. So, that is a symmetric response, but sometimes it will be asymmetric, sometimes it will be invisible, and this is testimony to a President who is not winning the war in Ukraine, who is confronted with these over 40,000 seriously wounded and dead people in his own country. Can you imagine what this means for the families, for the next of kin? The sheer tragedy of these huge losses on large parts of Russian societies, and you know, if you are a young man in Russia and you would decide to join the military, the chances are you end up somewhere in the Donbas getting killed by Ukrainian drones, and you have a President who doesn't care. He doesn't care. He is just doing this this crazy war, and he is still continuing doing this, doing it, and we have to make sure that we bring this war to an end. So, my message here is: don't fall into his trap, because his trap is by doing these hybrid attacks on NATO territory, his trap is that we will lose focus in Ukraine. That we will say, "Oh, what's happening? And we start to discuss this, and society gets a bit scared. And oh, maybe in the Baltic region or in Poland, it will have an economic impact. Hey, again, calm, carry on. We have planned and prepared for this. We are stronger. Look what we are doing to, what's happening at this moment in Russia in this war in Ukraine, and how much the West is supporting Ukraine to be to be successful. Don't fall into this trap. Everything he does will lead to more support for Ukraine, not less support for Ukraine. That has to be the message, and I'm so proud of our NATO Allies that this is exactly what's happening today. Even yesterday, Australia, which is not in NATO, as you know, but a valued partner, pledging again a big support package for Ukraine.

Clifford Chanin, Director of the 9/11 Memorial Museum

As if Russia were not enough, you mentioned in your remarks China, its aggressive behaviour increasingly, Iran, North Korea, and so we're talking about the entire world at this point. And I wonder if the NATO mission, which was demonstrated with the Article Five response in Afghanistan, is now a global mission, not simply focused on the European theatre, which was the original purpose of NATO.

NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte

Well, NATO stays focused on the on the Euro-Atlantic to make sure the United States is safe, because we want the nuclear submarines from Russia not to end up on the shores of the United States. For the United States, it's crucial that the Arctic is safe, that the Atlantic is safe, that Europe is safe, and we need NATO to keep Canada and the Europeans safe. So, the 1 billion people, including 340 million living here in the United States - that will stay the core mission of NATO. But you're right, Russia is working closely together with North Korea, with Iran and China and Belarus, and of course some others who do not always wish as well. And we also know increasingly, and this is a realisation here in the United States, in all the senior policy makers, and in the European part of NATO, that if ever there would be an incident in the Indo-Pacific, it will not be only the Indo-Pacific. It will mean that at the same time, Vladimir Putin will move somehow, in whatever form, try to move against NATO territory in Europe. So, these two theatres of the Indo-Pacific, in Europe are closely linked, and that is why we have a close relationship with Republic of Korea, with Japan, with Australia, with New Zealand, and we constantly exchange information. We work together when it comes to innovation, defence industrial, with Ukraine obviously we work intensely together with them, making sure that their military is as much as possible up to the standards we have in NATO, and learning from them, as I said. So, one a total focus on the core mission of NATO, but in a very close cooperation with our friends and partners across the globe.

Clifford Chanin, Director of the 9/11 Memorial Museum

Just changing subject a little bit. You mentioned your predecessor, Secretary General Stoltenberg, who was here a number of times at the museum. We did a programme like this at 2018, I think it was. He saw very clearly, for very obvious reasons - from his time as Prime Minister in Norway, the July 22nd attack - he saw clearly the connection between the threat of terrorism and the bigger picture in the world at large. I wonder if your experience as the Prime Minister of the Netherlands, which has also faced terror threats and attacks, how has that had an impact on your view of NATO and its responsibilities in the world?

NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte

Well, first of all, Jens has, also in the days when we had a handover, this is exactly one of the lessons he taught me, that terrorism and state actor aggression against NATO, we have to take this all into account. When you take a member, an Ally in NATO Türkiye, they will always make sure that we constantly concentrate not only on the core mission of NATO, being of course protecting the territory, for example, against threats, long-term threat from Russia, but also when it comes to terrorism. For me personally, when I became Prime Minister in 2010, and the world was a different place then. But I was confronted in 2014 with the downing of MH17, the plane which was flying over Donbas and was shot down by a Russian Buk missile, and 298 people died, 196 of them Dutch, and from 10 other countries, most of them from Australia. The plane was flying to Malaysia and would then fly on to Australia. And that, for me, absolutely triggered the realisation that for a country like the Netherlands to be in an Alliance like NATO, but also to be part of the European Union, is crucial. You cannot do this alone. Now, the Netherlands is, of course, much smaller than the United States. But even for the United States to be part of these structures, like NATO, for the United States, which is in itself the most powerful nation on earth, but to be able to project power, for example in Europe when it comes now to Epic Fury, over 5,000 planes taking off from European bases in support of Epic Fury, so Europe as one big power protection platform for the United States. So a small country as the Netherlands, up to the biggest nation on earth in terms of economic and military power, which is this amazing country, the United States, you cannot do it alone. And that is what I realised with MH17. You have to be embedded in international structures, protecting our way of life, our liberties, our freedom. That you can live the life you want to, that you can become everything you want. Which the only limit to that is your own faculties, your own talents, etc. But nobody else telling you what to do and how to live your life.

Clifford Chanin, Director of the 9/11 Memorial Museum

Final question, given the rise of populist parties in Europe, elections pointing in different directions than traditional parties, some of them not particularly supportive of NATO, are you concerned that these political developments are going to have an impact on the resilience and the resolve that you spoke of at the beginning.

NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte

Well, Matt Whitaker, my dear friend, but first of all, the U.S. Ambassador to NATO. We were visiting Iowa earlier this week, and we got this question in a joint panel we did in Des Moines, and we both basically, in various ways, answered that question by saying, "Hey, we will tango with whoever is on the on the dance floor." Because in popular elections you will get people elected, and sometimes you think, "Hey, great". Sometimes you think, "Okay, a little bit less great". Not important, in the end, this is what NATO is all about, and in the end, nations decide, populations decide who will govern that country. And I'm absolutely convinced the upside to be part of this great Alliance is so big, that whatever happens in terms of popular elkections, Matt and I will make sure that we do the - well, I'm not good at dancing, I hope you, I mean, you look like you're a great dancer - we will do this. And more generally speaking, I would say there was a sort of post-Second World War societal agreement, not openly discussed, but basically it was there, underpinning our societies, which is the economic growth, and then we will ensure that the profit of that growing economy will, if it was a more left-wing government, distribute it more towards the lower-income classes, if it was a more right-of-centre government, it would be somewhat more evenly distributed, plus also making sure that enterprises, etc. would create the next growth cycle. That was a little bit of the post-war deal, and in countries like Netherlands and Germany, you would always have, in most cases, left or centre, right or centre coalitions somehow calibrating these various outcomes. So, I think key for all of us is to make sure that basic assumption of economic growth, enterprise, making sure that the money is there to invest in our defence, in our schools, of course, also protecting people who somehow are in a situation where they cannot take care of themselves, and that society then can somehow make sure that they are well taken care of. That's crucial, and that's exactly what, for example, the German government is doing at the moment, putting in place the reforms to get that economy growing again. The government in my country, I know in the United States, it's what President Trump tries to achieve to make sure that the basic assumption is there. I think that's still the best guarantee to make sure that we keep our country stable, and in the end, it is populations deciding on who runs the country. That's democracy, and then you will find Matt and me on the dance floor, ready to tango in whichever direction necessary.

Clifford Chanin, Director of the 9/11 Memorial Museum

Mr Secretary General, thank you so much. Thank you, ladies and gentlemen.