WASHINGTON: NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte met US President Donald Trump at the White House on Wednesday in an effort to ease tensions between Washington and the military alliance amid disagreements over the recent conflict with Iran.
Rutte’s visit comes ahead of a crucial NATO leaders’ summit scheduled for July in Ankara and follows growing concerns over Trump’s criticism of NATO members and threats to reduce the US military presence in Europe. The US president has expressed frustration over what he sees as limited support from allies during the Iran conflict and efforts to secure shipping routes through the Strait of Hormuz after disruptions caused by the US-Israeli military campaign against Iran.
During their Oval Office meeting, Rutte presented charts highlighting increased defense spending by NATO members since Trump first took office in 2017. He also emphasized that thousands of US military aircraft had operated from European bases during the conflict, describing it as evidence of allied support.
Acknowledging Trump’s concerns, Rutte said examples of allied reluctance were “isolated cases” and stressed that European partners had generally stood with the United States. Trump praised Rutte’s leadership but maintained that the US had been disappointed by some allies.
Relations between Washington and NATO have become increasingly strained in recent months, particularly after several allies declined to endorse Trump’s Iran campaign, prompting renewed questions from the president about America’s future commitment to the alliance.
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