Trump trashes NATO for not ‘being there when we need them’ as Mark Rutte heaps praise on president after summit
Donald Trump yesterday criticized NATO for not intervening in the war in Iran, with Secretary General Mark Rutte even praising him for agreeing to a two-week ceasefire.
The president had asked the member countries of the alliance to send warships to help reopen the Strait of Hormuz, through which one fifth of the world’s oil supply passes. However, none of the member countries sent their ships.
“NATO WAS NOT THERE WHEN WE NEEDED IT, THEY WON’T BE THERE WHEN WE NEED IT AGAIN,” Trump said on the Truth social media platform.
This came hours after White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt delivered the message that NATO had been ‘tested and failed’.
He then appeared to make a veiled threat about Greenland, which he had repeatedly tried to capture.
“Remember Greenland, that big, poorly managed piece of ice,” Trump said.
The president’s move followed a planned meeting with Rutte, where he was expected to raise the possibility of the United States leaving the defense bloc.
However, Rutte, who infamously called Trump “father” at last year’s summit, adopted a conciliatory tone while praising Trump for the ceasefire agreement in Iran.
The NATO Secretary General told CNN that Trump was ‘obviously disappointed’ by his allies’ refusal to send aid, adding: ‘He clearly told me what he thought about what had happened in the last few weeks.’
Donald Trump used Truth Social to harshly condemn NATO for refusing to intervene in the war in Iran and made a veiled threat about Greenland, which he has repeatedly tried to capture.
When host Jake Tapper asked Rutte whether he believed the world was safer than it was before the war that began at the end of February, the NATO leader said: ‘Absolutely… that’s thanks to President Trump’s leadership.’
But Rutte refused to comment on whether Trump had expressed a desire to leave NATO, telling CNN: ‘It’s a nuanced picture.’
He then went on to explain that reducing Iran’s nuclear capabilities is ‘really important for your and my security here in the United States, in Europe, and in the Middle East.’
Trump has long been at odds with NATO and warned last week He said he was strongly considering removing the US from the ‘paper tiger’ bloc.
He said: ‘I have never been impressed by NATO. ‘I always knew they were paper tigers, and Putin knows it too, by the way.’
And yesterday The Wall Street Journal reported that the United States plans to punish some NATO members for refusing to support its war against Iran.
The publication said the Trump administration is considering relocating some of the 84,000 American troops stationed in Europe and may even close a U.S. base in at least one EU country, possibly Spain or Germany.
A spokesman for NATO has since told the Daily Mail that Rutte and Trump ‘discussed candidly a number of issues relevant to our common security, including the Iran context’.
‘“The Secretary-General underlined the importance of Allies continuing to take steps to build a stronger and fairer Alliance,” they said.
Leavitt told reporters yesterday that he thought it was “very sad that NATO has turned its back on the American people over the last six weeks, at a time when the American people fund their defenses.”
‘Withdrawing from NATO is an issue the President will discuss in a few hours’ [Rutte] “And maybe you’ll hear directly from the President after that meeting,” he said earlier in the day.
Leavitt later denied Iranian claims that the Strait of Hormuz was closed due to Israeli attacks on the regime’s proxy terrorist groups in Lebanon.
“We saw the traffic in the Strait increase today,” Leavitt said, noting that there is a difference between what Iran says publicly and what it says privately.
According to Iran’s semi-official Fars news agency, two tankers were allowed to pass through the strait this morning with the start of a two-week ceasefire, but it was later stated that the passage was suspended ‘simultaneously with Israel’s attacks on Lebanon’.
‘Lebanon is not part of the ceasefire,’ Leavitt said.
The President met with NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte yesterday and was expected to discuss the possibility of the United States leaving the alliance
Before meeting Trump, Rutte also met with Foreign Minister Marco Rubio in Washington.
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At the same time, Iran has threatened to destroy oil tankers if they attempt to pass through the Bosphorus without permission, as the regime imposes a fee of up to $2 million per ship.
According to the Financial Times, Saudi Arabia’s East-West oil pipeline, a critical artery that directs crude oil from the Gulf to the Red Sea, was attacked by a drone at 13:00 local time.
The Kuwaiti army stated that it had captured 28 unmanned aerial vehicles in continuous attacks targeting oil facilities, power plants and water treatment infrastructure since 08:00 yesterday morning, and stated that the attacks are still continuing.
There were also reports of explosions shaking Tehran; However, Leavitt declined to comment until he receives information from Trump’s national security team.
American and Iranian officials will meet in Islamabad on Saturday to seek a more permanent end to the war.
As part of the agreement, Iran publicly unveiled a ten-point peace plan, demanding that the United States accept Tehran’s continued control of the Strait, recognize its right to enrich uranium, lift all sanctions, pay compensation, and withdraw all its troops from the region.
Trump is currently facing fierce backlash from his most ardent supporters over his ceasefire and ten-point peace plan; Some fear this will gain too much for Tehran. The White House was forced to clarify its claims regarding the terms of the agreement.
The president had previously described Iran’s plan as a “viable basis for negotiation,” but a White House official said the points in the announced plan did not match what Trump had in mind.
Trump later appeared to contradict his own team by saying most points had been ‘fully negotiated’ and left the door open to a resumption of strikes if the deal failed.
Republican Senator Lindsey Graham demanded that J.D. Vance appear before Congress and explain the terms of the deal after the dovish Vice President led 11th-hour peace talks brokered by Pakistan.
Graham wrote in X: “In my view, there are some troubling aspects of the so-called negotiation document, but time will tell.”
‘I look forward to the Vice President and others who are the architects of this proposal coming to Congress and explaining how a negotiated agreement meets our national security goals in Iran.’
