President Trump has hit out at NATO after a tense meeting with Mark Rutte, the secretary general of the military alliance, at the White House on Wednesday.
Mr. Rutte had traveled to Washington to try to assuage Mr. Trump’s anger that NATO members had refused to participate in the U.S.-Israeli war in Iran and help open up the Strait of Hormuz, a vital oil and gas shipping route. But Mr. Rutte conceded that it was not an easy meeting, calling it “very frank” and “very open,” despite clear disagreements.
Mr. Trump, who has also complained that the alliance has refused to hand over Greenland, a semiautonomous territory of NATO member Denmark, to the United States, was not satisfied.
“NATO WASN’T THERE WHEN WE NEEDED THEM, AND THEY WON’T BE THERE IF WE NEED THEM AGAIN,” he wrote on social media after the meeting. “REMEMBER GREENLAND, THAT BIG, POORLY RUN, PIECE OF ICE!!!”
Mr. Trump did not say that he was pulling the United States out of NATO, however, which was a topic to be discussed during the meeting, the White House said.
Karoline Leavitt, the White House press secretary, on Wednesday quoted Mr. Trump as saying that NATO was “tested and they failed.” NATO countries, she added, had “turned their backs on the American people” who help fund their defense.
Mr. Rutte said on CNN that he reminded Mr. Trump that many NATO allies, including Britain, had allowed American forces to use their bases, even if some tried to distinguish between American missions that were “defensive” or “offensive.”
“He is clearly disappointed with many NATO allies, and I can see his point,” Mr. Rutte said. “But at the same time, I was also able to point to the fact that the large majority of European nations has been helpful with basing, with logistics, with overflights, with making sure that they live up to the commitments.”
He added: “It’s, therefore, a nuanced picture.”
Pressed on whether Mr. Trump threatened to quit NATO, Mr. Rutte said only: “It was a very open discussion. He clearly told me what he thought of what happened over the last couple of weeks.”
Mr. Rutte has been called the “Trump whisperer” for his mix of public flattery and private advice to the president. But his approach has been criticized by some NATO states, especially for supporting Mr. Trump’s decision to launch a war with Iran that many members of the alliance view as unnecessary and illegal under international law.
Steven Erlanger is the chief diplomatic correspondent in Europe and is based in Berlin. He has reported from over 120 countries, including Thailand, France, Israel, Germany and the former Soviet Union.
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