WASHINGTON: 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 US war with Iran were limited to “isolated cases.”
The NATO chief is visiting Washington to try to ease strains over the Iran war and US threats to draw down troops in Europe ahead of a pivotal NATO leaders’ summit in July in Ankara.
Trump, a longtime NATO critic who has called the alliance a “paper tiger,” has been angered by allies’ refusal to support the US in the Middle East conflict or help reopen the Strait of Hormuz after a US-Israeli attack on Iran on February 28 disrupted the major oil shipping route.
During the Oval Office meeting, Rutte used cardboard charts to show how much NATO countries have stepped up their defense spending since Trump first came into office in 2017.
He also said thousands of US planes had taken off from bases in Europe during the war, pointing to that cooperation as a sign of the allies’ support. Italy pushed back on Rutte’s remarks, saying Rome had authorized only technical and logistical flights.
