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NATO chief Mark Rutte should stop being an “American agent” and unite the fraught military alliance in the face of the United States’ “hostile rhetoric” and “intimidation”, former European Council chief Charles Michel has told Euronews.
“I want to be clear, Mark Rutte is disappointing and I’m losing confidence,” Michel, who helmed the Council for five years up until 2024, told Euronews’ morning show Europe Today on Friday.
“I’m not expecting Mark Rutte to be an American agent. I’m expecting Mark to work for unity within NATO,” Michel added.
Rutte, who famously called US President Donald Trump the “Daddy” of the NATO alliance, has gained a reputation as a Trump whisperer. He also provided an off-ramp for Trump to climb down on his recent threats to trigger a trade war with European countries over Greenland.
Michel told Euronews that Rutte’s “flattering diplomacy will not work” and could lead to “total failure.”
“We face intimidation, we face threats. What is going on with Greenland is not acceptable and I expect Mark Rutte to be a strong voice to defend the unity between NATO,” he said.
He added that the EU is a “very loyal partner” to the US and “doesn’t deserve” Trump’s recent “behaviour”, referencing the US President’s threats over Greenland, his attempts to give “legitimacy” to Russian President Vladimir Putin, and sanction former EU officials.
The US administration recently slapped sanctions on Thierry Breton, France’s former European Commissioner and the tech tsar responsible for crafting the EU’s digital rulebook.
‘Possible’ for Ukraine to join EU by 2027
Michel also weighed in on negotiations on a future peace settlement for Ukraine, saying leaders such as France’s Macron and Italy’s Meloni are “right” to demand direct face time with Putin.
“We need to be around the table because today (we are not). That’s very sad. That’s even a bit shocking,” he said. “Who is defending the European interests around the table? Not the United States, not Russia.”
He floated his successor António Costa as a possible envoy to the talks, saying he has the “legitimacy” to speak on behalf of the EU’s 27 leaders.
Asked about Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s target for his country to join the EU by 2027 as part of a peace plan, Michel said: “It’s absolutely right and that’s possible,” calling for Kyiv’s integration into the European bloc “as fast as possible.”
Watch the full interview with former European Council President Charles Michel in the player above.