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

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 has fumed over the way several Nato allies did not send warships to force Iran to reopen the Strait of Hormuz as global oil prices were rising.

Trump has repeatedly ignored that the organisation is built on the idea of defending one another if attacked – not if launching an attack themselves.

The White House did not reveal what Trump and Rutte discussed during their meeting.

White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said on Wednesday that Nato countries had “turned their backs on the American people” after the States had funded those countries’ defence.

She said Trump would have a “very frank and candid” conversation with Rutte.

The Nato chief later told CNN that he had “very frank” and “very open” talk with the president, despite Trump being “clearly disappointed” with allies.

He said he noted “the large majority of European nations have been helpful with basing, with logistics, with overflights” when it comes to Iran, so it’s a “nuanced picture”.

Rutte claimed the world was “absolutely” safer now after Trump’s five-week campaign against Iran, and credited that to the president’s “leadership” in weakening the Middle Eastern country’s nuclear capabilities.

He claimed Nato members do not see the war in Iran as illegal and that most agreed it was key to address Iran’s nuclear threats.

But UK prime minister Keir Starmer previously warned that Trump’s attacks on Iran have been “unlawful” and poorly planned.

Spanish prime minister Pedro Sanchez also accused the president of setting “the world on fire” and just showing up with “a bucket”, referring to Trump’s two-week ceasefire deal with Iran which kicked in on Tuesday.

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