NATO’s top diplomat just handed Donald Trump something the former-and-current president rarely receives from European leaders: a public compliment without caveats.
Secretary General Mark Rutte praised Trump’s role in brokering a ceasefire between the United States, Israel, and Iran, calling his leadership “bold” during a speech at the Reagan Institute on April 9, 2026. The remarks came one day after a White House sit-down that Rutte himself described as “very frank.”
What the ceasefire actually involves
The two-week ceasefire between the US, Israel, and Iran was reached in early April 2026. It followed a series of US-led military operations aimed at reopening the Strait of Hormuz, one of the most strategically important waterways on the planet.
For context, roughly a fifth of the world’s oil supply passes through the Strait of Hormuz on any given day.
