US President Donald Trump has again attacked NATO for not supporting the US in the Iran war, following a private meeting with its Secretary General, Mark Rutte, at the White House.
In a post shared to Truth Social after the meeting, President Trump said that the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation wasn’t there when US needed them, and they wouldn’t be there if Washington needed them again.
Mr Rutte, in a media interaction, described his meeting with Trump as very frank and very open. Ahead of the talks, US President had toyed with the idea of quitting the trans-Atlantic military alliance after several NATO countries resisted his calls to help reopen the Strait of Hormuz to ease rising global oil prices.
White House Press Secretary Karoline told reporters that leaving NATO remains under discussion. The meeting came amid Trump’s concern with European allies for not fully backing US military actions against Iran.
The talks also covered broader coordination, including efforts to secure shipping routes through the Strait of Hormuz and diplomatic moves to end the Russia-Ukraine war.
The White House later said the meeting between Trump and Rutte had ended, with no formal announcement on any policy shift.
In a separate engagement, Secretary of State Marco Rubio met Rutte and discussed increasing coordination and burden shifting with NATO Allies, according to the State Department.