Rutte Seeks to Ease Trump-NATO Tensions
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 examples of allies' reluctance to support the U.S. war with Iran were "isolated cases."The NATO chief is visiting Washington to try to ease strains over the Iran war and U.S. 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 its reluctance to support the U.S. in the Middle East conflict or help reopen the Strait of Hormuz after a U.S.-Israeli attack on Iran on Feb. 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 U.S. military planes had operated from bases in Europe during the war, pointing to that cooperation as a sign of the allies' support.
The news media never show any questions to the guest, if there are any...they concentrate solely on President Trump.
The United States accounts for roughly 60% to 62% of all combined NATO military expenditures and Rutte can't afford to lose the U.S. support.
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