Rutte Aims to Persuade Trump at Critical White House Meeting: Keep NATO Strong
NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte must persuade President Trump during his visit to the White House today that American interests align most closely with being a key player in the transatlantic alliance.
According to a U.S. source, America plans to encourage NATO partners to concentrate on taking responsibility for their own defense rather than depending on American backing.
President Trump has consistently urged NATO nations to increase spending on defense and has warned about withdrawing U.S. backing from member states that fail to allocate at least 2% of their GDP towards military expenditures.
"Rutte is highly committed to maintaining the United States' involvement in NATO, and I believe he approaches this with great intelligence. You know he won’t take an adversarial stance during his time there," stated the U.S. official.
President Trump is expected to emphasize this point significantly once more today.
In the meantime, Trump stated that the U.S. would remain part of NATO "as long as they treat us fairly and cover their expenses."
“I stated that I won’t get involved with NATO until you settle your debts,” he said at the White House on Wednesday.
"I was asked, 'If we don't make the payment, will you still assist us?' I responded that if payments aren't made, then they would be considered delinquent," Trump stated during the St. Patrick’s Day meeting with the Irish taoiseach at the Oval Office.
"If you aren’t covering your expenses, I won’t be lending assistance," he stated additionally.
NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte is holding talks with US President Donald Trump during the continuing discussions for a possible ceasefire in Ukraine.
However, according to American sources, the discussion today will shift focus away from Ukraine toward the future of NATO, with the United States emphasizing the urgent need for increased and more significant defense spending contributions within Europe.
Rutte is anticipated to focus on persuading Trump that maintaining the United States' membership in NATO aligns with America’s long-term security interests, particularly as the U.S. shifts its attention toward ensuring stability in the Indo-Pacific region.
It is reported that the ex-Dutch Prime Minister developed strong ties with Trump, engaging in frequent conversations.
He continually reinforces the American stance that Europe should increase its spending and assume greater responsibility for its own defense.
NATO member nations are obligated to allocate 2% of their GDP for defense spending; however, eight members such as Spain, Belgium, Italy, and Luxembourg have not yet reached this target.
Meanwhile, U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth stated that allied nations must significantly boost their expenditures to reach 5% of their GDP in the upcoming years.
The US official stated that Rutte has long urged NATO allies to allocate 5% of their GDP to defense spending,
