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NATO leader Mark Rutte defended European allies at the White House following harsh criticism from Donald Trump regarding their role in the war against Iran. At the same time, he tried to appease the U.S. president by praising his actions against Iran and highlighting the sharp increase in European defense spending.
Trump said Wednesday that NATO had “let down” the United States because, in his view, European countries were not providing enough support in the conflict. Spain, Italy, the United Kingdom, France, and Germany came in for particular criticism. According to the president, the U.S. did not need help, but would have appreciated it if its allies had shown loyalty.
Rutte countered with a different narrative. He pointed out that 4,000 to 5,000 U.S. military aircraft had taken off from Europe during the war. With that, according to CNN and Reuters, he said that Europe was indeed a crucial base of operations for U.S. operations. “Overall, your European allies were there for you,” was his message to Trump.
The NATO chief combined that defense with a great deal of praise. He emphasized that it was important that Trump prevent Iran from acquiring a nuclear weapon, and presented a chart titled “The Trump Trillion,” which was intended to illustrate the rise in European defense spending. With this, Rutte wanted to make it clear that, in his view, Trump’s pressure on NATO had yielded results.
Trump himself, meanwhile, insisted that he was primarily disappointed—not so much in terms of money as in “loyalty.” He did praise a few leaders, including Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, and claimed that Chinese President Xi Jinping had also stayed out of the war at his request.
The meeting between Trump and Rutte is intended to ease tensions within the alliance ahead of the NATO summit in Ankara in July. Rutte is trying to make it clear that the European NATO members contribute more than Trump suggests, without directly antagonizing the American president.
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