US President Donald Trump (right) meets with NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte in the Oval Office at the White House in Washington on Wednesday. EVAN VUCCI/REUTERS
WASHINGTON — NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte sought to calm tensions with US President Donald Trump at the White House on Wednesday, using mild pushback to argue that instances of allies' reluctance to support the US conflict with Iran were limited to "isolated cases".
The NATO chief is visiting Washington to try to ease strains over the Iran conflict 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 Feb 28 disrupted the major oil shipping route. As diplomatic efforts ramp up to ease the conflict, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said on Wednesday that US-Iran technical talks are expected to resume next week, likely on June 29 or 30 in Switzerland.
During the Oval Office meeting with Trump, Rutte used cardboard charts to show how much NATO countries have increased their defense spending since Trump first took office in 2017.
