Mark Rutte supports president Donald Trump

Rutte met with Trump on Wednesday, April 8. The talks were held behind closed doors, without media presence. After the meeting, the Secretary General recounted the discussion in an interview with CNN. The interview primarily reflected Donald Trump’s dissatisfaction with the attitude of certain member states. “Let me be clear —he (Donald Trump) is clearly disappointed with many NATO allies, and I understand his point of view,” Rutte said in the CNN interview.

At the same time, the Secretary General sought to defend NATO’s position as well as the US President’s decision to strike Iran. “The vast majority of European countries assisted with bases, logistics, overflights, and fulfilling commitments. There is also broad support for the notion that limiting Iran’s nuclear and ballistic potential was truly crucial —and that only the United States was capable of doing so at that moment.” Justifying the American decision to carry out the attack, Mark Rutte referred to the “North Korean scenario,” which involved a situation where prolonged negotiations on denuclearisation could have allowed Iran to actually acquire nuclear weapons. “The entire world is safer today because the President degraded those capabilities,” the Secretary General concluded.

During the interview, questions repeatedly arose about a possible US withdrawal from NATO structures. Mark Rutte responded evasively to such reports. “Well, as I said, there is clear disappointment, but at the same time, the President listened carefully to my arguments about what is happening.”

Despite Rutte’s efforts to understand the American position and his conciliatory tone, the two leaders did not agree on every issue. Rutte rejected Trump’s claim that NATO “has been tested and has failed.” In recent weeks, Europe—as a platform for US power projection—was said to have functioned without issue.

The discussion also touched on the potential punishment of allies who refused to allow the use of American bases or their airspace for conducting the war in Iran. Rutte generally denied such reports but again limited himself to broad statements. We should not worry about the United States leaving NATO in the near future. However, a response from the Trump administration toward “less engaged” countries in US operations can be expected. This could include a reduction in the American military presence in those countries (troop withdrawals) or economic measures (such as imposing tariffs or restricting imports).