All posts tagged: Rutte

NATO’s Rutte told allies Trump wants Hormuz commitments within days, diplomats say

NATO’s Rutte told allies Trump wants Hormuz commitments within days, diplomats say

Published by Sam Flores

NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte reacts during a one-on-one interview with Reuters on the Iran crisis and Ukraine war, at the Alliance headquarters in Brussels, Belgium March 5, 2026. Yves Herman | Reuters NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte has briefed some capitals that U.S. President Donald Trump wants concrete commitments within the next few days for help securing the Strait of Hormuz, two European diplomats told Reuters on Thursday. Rutte met with Trump in Washington on Wednesday, amid tensions within the alliance over the Iran war. “We note the frustration in Washington, but they did not consult allies either before or after starting this war,” said one of the diplomats. “NATO as such would not play a role in the war against Iran, but allies want to be helpful in seeking longer-term solutions for Hormuz. With negotiations ongoing with Iran, this could be helpful,” the diplomat said. The U.S. president has repeatedly called NATO a “paper ​tiger” and threatened to withdraw from the 32-member transatlantic alliance in recent weeks, arguing that Washington’s European allies have …

Not Even Nato Chief Mark Rutte Is Safe From Trump’s Wrath Over Iran

Not Even Nato Chief Mark Rutte Is Safe From Trump’s Wrath Over Iran

Published by Sam Flores

Donald Trump has hit out at Nato for not being “there when we needed them” shortly after intense talks with the alliance’s chief. The president had a private meeting with Mark Rutte in the White House on Wednesday evening, but judging by his TruthSocial post, Trump was not happy with the way the conversation went. The US president wrote: “NATO WASN’T THERE WHEN WE NEEDED THEM, AND THEY WON’T BE THERE IF WE NEED THEM AGAIN.” He also revived his row with Nato members over his demand to own Greenland, the autonomous Danish territory, writing: “REMEMBER GREENLAND, THAT BIG, POORLY RUN, PIECE OF ICE!!!” Rutte has bent over backwards to appease Trump since he returned to the White House last year. Nato’s secretary general went viral when he called the president “daddy” in public after Trump compared Israel and Iran to unruly children last June. His trip to the US this week was meant to try and smooth over relations with Washington after Trump repeatedly threatened to pull out of the defence alliance. The president …

Nato Chief Mark Rutte Won’t Even Condemn Trump For Calling Allies ‘Cowards’

Nato Chief Mark Rutte Won’t Even Condemn Trump For Calling Allies ‘Cowards’

Published by Sam Flores

Nato’s secretary-general refused to push back against Donald Trump after the US president described the alliance as a “paper tiger” made up of “cowards”. Trump lashed out at the defensive organisation over the weekend for refusing to support for his ongoing attacks on Iran. But, when asked for his response to Trump’s attack, Mark Rutte seemed to offer little rebuttal – and even justified the US’s controversial decision not to warn their allies about the initial strikes on Tehran ahead of time. He told CBS’s Face The Nation: “I’ve been in several conversations this week with the president and the good news is that, look, we had the US for weeks planning for Epic Fury. “For reasons of security and safety, they could not share with European allies and allies around the world and partner countries, because that would have jeopardised the effect of the first attack.” He claimed: “It’s only logical that European countries take a couple of weeks to come together. “Since Thursday, 22 countries – most of them Nato but also Japan, …

NATO’s Rutte sidesteps Trump threats – POLITICO

NATO’s Rutte sidesteps Trump threats – POLITICO

Published by Sam Flores

“What I know is that allies are working together discussing how to do that,” he told reporters during a visit to a NATO military exercise in Norway. “What is the best way to do it? They are working on that collectively to find a way forward.” The remarks underscore the high-wire act facing Rutte as the U.S.-Israeli war with Iran drags into its third week. The secretary-general wants to placate Trump — a longtime NATO skeptic — while avoiding a full embrace of a war which is out-of-area for NATO and has been widely criticized by other allies. Yet the latest comments also mark a change in tack from Rutte, after countries like Spain hit out at the alliance boss for his claim earlier this month that the war enjoyed “widespread support” from NATO allies. The former Dutch prime minister on Wednesday avoided praising the war effort, and did not allude to European support for the conflict. The U.S. has so far not issued specific requests for help from NATO, but individual allies like Estonia …

NATO stronger than ever after Greenland crisis, Rutte says – POLITICO

NATO stronger than ever after Greenland crisis, Rutte says – POLITICO

Published by Sam Flores

At a Thursday meeting of NATO’s defense ministers, “I felt a shift in mindset where the Europeans were not only saying, ‘Hey, we are going to spend much more,’” Rutte said. “The shift in mindset is Europeans saying, ‘We need to take more the lead in NATO,’ … and this is exactly what the United States wanted.” That “makes it easier for the United States to stay anchored in NATO,” Rutte added.  The remarks come one day after an unusually cordial intervention from Deputy Pentagon chief Elbridge Colby at Thursday’s meeting of alliance ministers in Brussels — which some Europeans took as a sign the U.S. wanted to put the Greenland episode to bed. Colby called for a new “NATO 3.0,” where Europeans pay more for their own defense and slim NATO’s activities down to its core task of defending alliance territory — an idea Rutte backed on Friday. His comments also reflect a sense of relief in Munich from many Europeans hoping that the worst of last month’s transatlantic tensions have eased — at …

Mark Rutte Sends Strong Message To Trump At Davos

Mark Rutte Sends Strong Message To Trump At Davos

Published by Sam Flores

Nato secretary general Mark Rutte delivered a brutal reality check to Donald Trump over his repeated claims that the military alliance would never come to America’s aid if it was attacked. The US president told the World Economic Forum in Davos “I’m not sure that they’d be there for us if we gave them the call” as he tried to rally support for his now-abandoned demand to take over Greenland from Denmark. He said: “I know them all very well. I’m not sure that they’d be there. I know we’d be there for them. I don’t know that they would be there for us.” His misinformed claims, which he has made on numerous occasions, overlook the fact that Nato member countries suffered hundreds of deaths in the Afghanistan war, which was triggered by the September 11 attack on the World Trade Centre in New York. Britain alone lost 457 soldiers, with the likes of France, Germany, Italy and Denmark also suffering many deaths. Rutte told Trump: ″There’s one thing I heard you say yesterday and …

NATO Discussing Next Steps to Ensure Arctic Stays Safe, Rutte Says

NATO Discussing Next Steps to Ensure Arctic Stays Safe, Rutte Says

Published by Sam Flores

BRUSSELS, Jan 12 (Reuters) – NATO member countries ‌are ​discussing the next steps ‌to collectively keep the Arctic safe, alliance chief Mark ​Rutte said on Monday, the latest sign of work among allies to ‍satisfy U.S. President Donald Trump, ​who says he wants to take over Greenland. “All allies agree ​on the ⁠importance of the Arctic and Arctic security,” Rutte told a press conference in Croatia. “With sea lanes opening up, there is a risk that the Russians and the Chinese will be more active.” Rutte said discussions ‌on Arctic security were already under way since last year, and ​member countries ‌were now “discussing the next ‍step ⁠to that, how to make sure that we give practical follow up on those discussions.” Trump said on Friday that the U.S. needs to own Greenland to prevent Russia or China from occupying it in the future. Greenland is an autonomous part of the kingdom of Denmark and houses a U.S. airbase ​under international treaties. Danish and Greenlandic officials say the island is not for sale, and that security …