President Donald Trump had back-to-back talks with Marek Rutte, NATO Secretary General, in Washington, D.C. tonight. After the meeting, Rutte admitted that the president of the United States was “clearly disappointed” by the deficiency of support for European allies in the war with Iran, but over 2 hours of conversation was to run in a “friendly and open atmosphere”.
Mark Rutte, Secretary-General of NATO, in a message to CNN station he gave after a gathering at the White House, avoided a clear answer to the question whether Donald Trump, president of the United States, had raised the threat of withdrawing the United States from the Alliance in connection with the war with Iran. Rutte described their conversation as a “very sincere and open” exchange of views between “two good friends”.
The gathering took place at a peculiarly delicate minute – little than 24 hours after A two-week truce between the US and Iranincluding unlocking Ormuz Strait. The fragile compromise was reached after Trump's sharp threats, which announced the anticipation of hitting Iran's civilian infrastructure and warned against the demolition of the "whole civilization" if Tehran did not guarantee the free movement of the Strait until the set deadline.
Even before talking to Rutte Trump, he besides sharpened his rhetoric towards NATO, calling the Alliance a "paper tiger" and suggesting the anticipation of the US leaving NATO. This was a reaction to associate States' decision to ignore Trump's appeal for military support to unlock the key maritime route. Its closure has raised oil prices worldwide.
During the talks at the White House, Rutte partially acknowledged Trump, pointing out that "some" countries have indeed failed to meet expectations, but at the same time stressed that "the vast majority of Europeans" have provided support – mainly in terms of logistics and intelligence.
Donald Trump, after gathering Mark Rutte, made a strong comment on platform X: “NATO was not there erstwhile we needed them, and it would not be there erstwhile we needed it again. Remember Greenland, this big, badly managed ice cube!!!”
The ceasefire between the United States and Iran was announced on 8 April 2026 and is due to apply for 2 weeks. The truce does not mean an end to war or full peace, as the situation in the region remains very unstable, especially with Israel's continued efforts towards Hezbollah in Lebanon.
