MOSCOW, June 25. /TASS/. NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte is visiting Washington to smooth things over between US President Donald Trump and alliance member states; Congress has prohibited Trump from taking military action against Iran; and the EU and NATO have shown no willingness to negotiate a mutual non-aggression treaty with Russia. These stories topped Thursday’s newspaper headlines across Russia.
Izvestia: Rutte travels to Washington in bid to prevent NATO split
NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte is urgently seeking to smooth over disagreements among alliance members ahead of the July summit in Ankara. His official visit to Washington began on June 24, during which he is seeking to present the US’ European allies in a more favorable light. For now, US President Donald Trump is reportedly furious over his partners’ refusal to participate in the Middle East conflict. As a punitive measure, Pentagon chief Pete Hegseth has already announced a review of the military presence in Europe; US forces allotted for NATO operations are also being reduced. However, experts are convinced that a US withdrawal from the alliance is impossible; Trump is merely bargaining to extract concessions from Europe.
