Rutte meets Trump to defuse tensions ahead of major NATO summit
Rutte used charts to show allies have increased defense spending as he sought to calm Trump’s anger over Iran and possible troop cuts.
- NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte met with President Donald Trump in the Oval Office Wednesday, deploying high praise to de-escalate tensions just two weeks ahead of the alliance's critical summit.
- The high-stakes meeting comes as Trump renews threats to leave NATO, repeatedly criticizing the 77-year-old alliance as a "paper tiger" and fuming over a perceived lack of European support during the recent U.S. military conflict with Iran.
- Trump demanded "loyalty" over cash from European allies, stating during the meeting that "we don't need their money—we don't need anything... but I just want loyalty," referencing his disappointment that some member states denied the U.S. basing and overflight rights during the conflict.
- Rutte gently defended the alliance by highlighting its operational support, clarifying that cases of denied airspace were isolated and noting that between 4,000 and 5,000 U.S. military aircraft successfully utilized European bases before the ceasefire.
- The diplomatic push precedes a pivotal July 7–8 summit in Ankara, Turkey, where allied leaders are bracing for a potential showdown as the Pentagon conducts a sweeping six-month review of the U.S. military footprint and troop deployments across Europe.
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The American president is still angry with Europe, saying they let the US down at the start of the Iran war.
Rutte is trying to smooth out the waves in the dispute with Donald Trump. A specially created graph on the "Trump effect" is intended to help.
NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte tried on Wednesday at the Oval Office in Washington to convince US President Donald Trump of the European alliance contributions just before the NATO summit in Ankara.
US President Donald Trump complained at a meeting with NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte about the lack of support from the allies.
Using flattery, Rutte tries to ease NATO tensions with Trump over Iran
NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte sought to calm tensions with President Donald Trump at the White House on Wednesday, using a mix of flattery and gentle pushback to argue that instances of allies' reluctance to support the U.S. war with Iran were limited to "isolated cases."
Two weeks before the Nato summit in Ankara, Donald Trump welcomed Nato boss Mark Rutte to the White House. In the social networks, Rutte's behavior caused a great deal of horror. He was accused of being submissive to the US president and of being spineless.
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