White House: Trump will discuss with Rutte the possible withdrawal of the United States from the Alliance. “NATO was put to the test and failed”
The White House said on Wednesday that US President Donald Trump will discuss with NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte the possible withdrawal of the United States from the North Atlantic Alliance in the meeting that the two will have in a few hours in the Oval Office, Reuters and EFE report.
President Donald Trump believes NATO has been “tested and failed” during the war with Iran, White House spokeswoman Karoline Leavitt said Wednesday, just hours before Trump is due to meet with NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte.
The two are to meet at the White House, in the context in which the conflict with Iran has brought US relations with the other members of the military alliance to a critical point.
The Republican president has threatened in recent weeks to withdraw the US from the transatlantic alliance and criticized European allies for what he called insufficient support in the US-Israeli bombing campaign on Iran.
Trump said on Tuesday that the attacks would be suspended after the sides agreed to a two-week truce.
“It's quite sad that NATO has turned its back on the American people for the last six weeks, when the Americans themselves are the ones funding their defense,” Leavitt said in a press briefing.
She added that Trump expects a “very direct and honest discussion” with the NATO chief.
Trump has called on the oil-dependent states of the Gulf region to break Iran's control over the Strait of Hormuz. However, European countries are unlikely to participate in demining missions or other operations to resume navigation as long as hostilities continue, according to two European diplomats.
Iran has vowed to block the strait until the war ends.
A dangerous time for the alliance
Rutte, known in Europe as a close confidant of Trump, has cultivated a cordial relationship with him despite tensions and described him last year as a “father figure” managing a row between Israel and Iran. Another European diplomat characterized Rutte's approach to Trump as deferential but effective.
The Iran dispute has heightened transatlantic concerns over Ukraine, Greenland and military spending. However, senior US officials have assured in private discussions that the administration remains committed to NATO, according to one of the diplomats.
“This is a dangerous moment for the transatlantic alliance,” said Oana Lungescu, a former NATO spokeswoman now at the Royal United Services Institute, a think tank in London.
At the meeting, Rutte is expected to stress the common interest in resuming normal maritime trade after hostilities sent global energy prices soaring. He is also expected to try to temper Trump's public criticism of the alliance and highlight steps taken by European states to increase defense budgets.
A NATO official said Rutte would try to strengthen cooperation in the defense industry and discuss the wars in Iran and Ukraine.
But it is not clear whether NATO, a defensive alliance focused on North America and Europe, would have an expanded role in the Middle East. Rutte has not received a mandate from European leaders to commit the alliance to an operation in the Strait of Hormuz, according to one of the diplomats.
“I expect the dialogue on Ukraine and the sharing of responsibilities within NATO to continue,” another senior European diplomat said, adding that the former Dutch politician said member states should “engage in the reopening of Hormuz” after a ceasefire.
Trump's Oval Office meetings with foreign leaders are often spectacular, with praise and displeasure aired publicly in front of television cameras. The White House did not say whether the meeting with Rutte would be open to the media.
NATO, “a paper tiger”
NATO, which brings together European states, the US and Canada, was established in 1949 to counter the risk of a Soviet attack and has since become the mainstay of Western security.
In recent weeks, Trump has repeatedly described NATO as a “paper tiger,” useless at critical moments.
Asked earlier this month by a Reuters reporter about a potential withdrawal from the alliance, Trump replied: “Wouldn't you do the same if you were me?”
His focus on the Middle East also risks redirecting US weapons away from Ukraine, whose defense is a top priority for most of NATO's European members. Trump's criticism of Ukraine, openness to Russia and threats to take over Greenland from Denmark have alarmed allies.
“He was disappointed by the reluctance of NATO and other allies to provide support during Operation Epic Fury, even though his effort to eliminate the threat posed by Iran is to their benefit,” White House spokeswoman Anna Kelly said. “As he said, the United States will remember.”
