NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte has issued a stark warning to Western allies: without the continued military support of the United States, Europe alone cannot sustain Ukraine’s resistance against Russian forces. Speaking to Fox News on July 2, Rutte expressed understanding of Washington’s inward policy pivot under President Donald Trump, but underscored the strategic and moral imperative of ensuring that Ukraine remains armed and defended.

“I totally understand that the US always has to make sure that their own interests are covered,” Rutte said, referencing the Trump administration’s decision to curtail deliveries of critical military hardware to Kiev, including air defense missiles, artillery shells, and ammunition. However, he emphasized that the war-torn nation cannot survive on European support alone. “In the short term, Ukraine cannot do without all the support it can get when it comes to ammunition and to air defense systems,” he added.

The remarks came amid rising concern in European capitals over the long-term sustainability of military support to Ukraine without Washington’s deep logistical, technological, and financial resources. While NATO’s European members have pledged over €35 billion ($41 billion) in aid and committed to increase their defense spending to 5% of GDP by 2035, many analysts view this as both economically risky and politically divisive.

The cutbacks in American support were confirmed by Matthew Whitaker, the US envoy to NATO, who framed the decision as part of President Trump’s broader “America First” doctrine. “This is what ‘America first’ looks like,” Whitaker told Fox News. “The........

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