Washington: NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte met with President Donald Trump at the White House on Wednesday. The visit aimed to ease strains within the alliance over the Iran war and US troop plans in Europe.
Rutte told Trump that allies’ reluctance to support the US war with Iran was limited to “isolated cases.” He said European allies had generally supported Washington during the conflict.
Trump appeared unconvinced and interrupted Rutte at times, though he praised the NATO chief’s leadership. Trump said the United States had been “let down” by several allies.
Rutte used charts in the Oval Office to show increases in NATO defence spending since Trump first entered office in 2017. In addition, he cited US planes taking off from European bases during the war as evidence of allied cooperation.
WATCH: NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte unveils what he calls the “Trump trillion” as he credits President Trump with helping push European allies to boost defense spending.
Rutte said Europe and Canada have added roughly $1.2 trillion in defense spending since Trump first… pic.twitter.com/IpS5RhNgEs
— Fox News (@FoxNews) June 24, 2026Italy pushed back on Rutte’s remarks, saying Rome had authorised only technical and logistical flights. Trump expressed disappointment with the United Kingdom, Italy, Germany and Spain, while praising Poland.
The White House meeting came after Trump questioned whether the United States should stand by NATO’s mutual defence pact. He raised the issue after some allies refused to back his Iran campaign. That campaign began without prior consultation, according to the source content.
🔴 BREAKING: NATO chief Mark Rutte and US President Trump hold press conference. pic.twitter.com/QvdUrebppQ
— Al Jazeera Breaking News (@AJENews) June 24, 2026Washington has also pressed Europe to take more responsibility for its security. Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth announced a six-month review of US troop deployments in Europe that could lead to reductions.
Rutte said after the meeting that Trump remained “committed” to NATO. However, Trump cast doubt on attending the July 7–8 NATO leaders’ summit in Ankara if Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan was not hosting it.
Read: Trump Iran Nuclear Inspections Claim Denied by Tehran
NATO leaders last year backed Trump’s demand to raise defence and defence-related spending to 5% of gross domestic product within a decade. Rutte said Germany, the Netherlands, Poland, the Nordic states and the Baltic countries had planned major increases.
