Rutte will not Make Any Promises to Trump about Military Assistance. Prime Minister Rutte is not going to make President Trump happy during his visit to the White House by saying “yes” to all sorts of requests from the Americans.
The government is not yet deciding between sending soldiers to Syria or the Persian Gulf. The US government has asked for that.
Rutte also maintains the position that Dutch Syrians are not actively repatriated. The United States has been urging the Netherlands and other European countries for some time to take their responsibility and to get fellow countrymen back from Syria to try them at home.
If offered by the Netherlands, the United States could deploy its army to help us with that, and it has been provided. One of the arguments that the government always uses against repatriation is that we do not want to send aid workers to dangerous areas.
We think differently than the Americans, “Rutte said this afternoon after the Cabinet meeting. “Even if the Americans were to make this offer, the preconditions set by the government for such an operation would still not be met.”
Rutte meets Trump in Washington next Thursday. Rutte mainly wants to use the visit to strengthen the ties between The Hague and Washington.
Rutte emphasizes once again that no country has such old diplomatic ties with the United States as the Netherlands. After American independence, the Dutch Republic was one of the first to recognize the new country.
“After the United Kingdom’s departure from the EU, there is no European country that is as transnational as we are,” said Rutte.
Rutte will once again point out to the American president the billions of investments that Dutch companies are making in the United States. And the importance of Schiphol and the port of Rotterdam for trade between the two continents.
The highlight of the visit will be the presentation of the American flag that was used when landing on Normandy. The Rotterdam businessman Bert Kreuk purchased it. He will give Trump the flag together with Rutte. This year is all about the 75th anniversary of D-Day.