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, the US President said: NATO WASN'T THERE WHEN WE NEEDED THEM, AND THEY WON'T BE THERE IF WE NEED THEM AGAIN.
Meanwhile, Rutte has described his meeting to CNN with Trump as very frank and very open, despite clear disagreements.
Ahead of the talks on Wednesday, Trump 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.
The White House did not disclose details of the talk. The Secretary General was at the White House for over two hours on Wednesday, although it is unknown how long the meeting with Trump lasted.
The meeting was expected to cajole and convince Trump that it's in his interest, and America's, to stay in the NATO alliance. However, Trump still has deep misgivings about the alliance and member countries he believes did not help the US enough before and during Operation Epic Fury.
Recently, Trump has threatened to withdraw from the 32-member transatlantic alliance. White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt remarked that NATO was tested and they failed during the conflict with Iran.
Leavitt claimed NATO countries had turned their backs on the American people, who fund their nations' defense, and that Trump would have a very frank and candid conversation with the NATO chief.
Rutte pointed out that many European nations provided assistance with basing, logistics, and overflights for operations, describing the situation as a nuanced picture. Whether this perspective will sway Trump remains to be seen.
Rutte also noted that NATO members do not view the war in Iran as illegal, agreeing collectively that it was essential to degrade Iran's nuclear capabilities.
At the end of 2023, Congress passed a bill prohibiting any president from unilaterally withdrawing from NATO without obtaining a two-thirds Senate majority or an act of Congress.
The US’s relationship with NATO was already in a precarious position before the war, primarily due to disagreements over Trump's Greenland initiatives. Post-meeting, Trump vented about contingencies in Greenland, referring to it as that big, poorly run, piece of ice. This ongoing conflict over NATO support in Iran has escalated tensions, posing perhaps the greatest challenge to the alliance in its history.
