Rutte visits German air base hosting AWACS, takes veiled jibe at Putin amid Russia-Ukraine war

Mark Rutte visited NATO’s main AWACS base in Geilenkirchen, North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany, commending the work of the alliance’s Airborne Warning and Control Force. Rutte praised the multinational collaboration at the base, including the 1st German-Netherlands Corps and defense industry contributions in the region. He emphasized NATO’s commitment to defense readiness, rapid production, and the historic pledge by member states to spend 5% of GDP on defense.