The key meeting in the Oval Office between US President Donald Trump and NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte was tense and full of sharp remarks.
The NATO chief's visit to the United States comes at a critical moment of deep transatlantic division, provoked by the refusal of European countries to send military forces to support Washington during the conflict with Iran, PBS reported.
„I just want loyalty“: Trump's accusations
Sitting across from Rutte before journalists at the White House, Donald Trump did not spare his criticism of key European capitals. He directly named countries such as Germany, France, Britain, Italy and Spain, saying that they had „betrayed“ the United States at the most important moment, Al Jazeera added.
„If it were anyone else in this position, we would not even be meeting today, to be honest with you, because we were disappointed and abandoned. We don't need their money, we don't need anything. I just want loyalty," Trump told the media.
The American president once again raised the issue of a possible review and reduction of the US military presence in Europe, undermining the principle of collective defense of the 77-year-old alliance. The only kind word he had was for Turkish President Recep Erdogan, for whom Trump confirmed that he would attend the upcoming NATO summit in Ankara in July, according to The New York Times.
Rutte's Tactics: Presentations and the “Trump Trillion“
Known in diplomatic circles for his ability to balance the character of the American leader, Mark Rutte applied an unprecedented approach in the Oval Office. The NATO chief gave a personal presentation to Trump, Vice President J.D. Vance and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, using three large easels with bright red graphics and gold lettering. The posters, titled „The Trump Effect 47“ and “Trump Trillion“, aimed to show how dramatically defense spending by European allies has increased thanks to pressure from the White House, Bloomberg reported.
Rutte tried to defend Europe, indicating that the president's frustration was due to a few “isolated cases“.
“When you look at the numbers, between 4,000 and 5,000 American aircraft took off from bases in Europe during the six weeks of this conflict. "I know there are times you're disappointed, but overall your European allies have been there for you," Rutte tried to counter, calling Trump "the leader of the free world."
However, Trump cut him off abruptly, patted him on the knee and said that the allies were not there at all when the blocked sea lanes in the Strait of Hormuz were supposed to be opened. Instead of continuing the topic of NATO, Trump spent long minutes bragging about how he had deployed the National Guard to clear out Washington, joking with Rutte that under the previous administration there was a huge chance of "being beaten up and robbed in the street." despite his large stature.
How is the visit to the US going?
The three-day visit of the NATO Secretary General to Washington is taking place under extremely heavy pressure. Before arriving at the White House, Rutte virtually participated in an emergency meeting in Berlin of the leaders of Germany, France, Great Britain, Italy and Poland (the E5 format), who are trying to develop a common strategy against the unpredictable moves of Trump and the Pentagon.
Mark Rutte's program in the US continues with key meetings on Capitol Hill with members of the US Congress, as well as participation in a major discussion organized by the influential analytical center Atlantic Council.
Despite the tension in the Oval Office, after leaving the White House, Rutte tried to remain optimistic in front of journalists, saying that Trump remained “fully committed“ to NATO, but confirmed that he expected European countries to start paying much more to equalize the burden with the United States.