NATO Chief Shifts Focus to European Support Ahead of Meeting with Trump

“As far as NATO is concerned, I know there is disappointment, but we should also bear in mind that these are isolated cases,” Rutte told Fox News. Previously, U.S. government officials had repeatedly criticized what they saw as a lack of support from allies for the U.S. war against Iran. Among other things, this concerned permission to use military bases and overflight rights.

According to Rutte, there were several thousand takeoffs and landings by U.S. military aircraft at bases in European countries during the war in Iran. He described the continent as a “platform for power projection” for the United States. Rutte was referring to the fact that, due to their geographical proximity, European bases significantly facilitate U.S. military operations in regions such as Africa and the Middle East.

Rutte plans to meet with Trump today in Washington—just ahead of the NATO summit, which will take place in two weeks in the Turkish capital, Ankara.

For the head of the Western defense alliance, the talks at the White House are about smoothing things over as best as possible. Just on Monday, Trump had once again accused several European allies of a lack of support. He criticized that when Washington had asked for help against Iran, key partners had not been there for the U.S. Trump specifically named the United Kingdom, Germany, and Italy—but did not elaborate on his accusations.