NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte said the alliance’s members were “a bit slow, to say the least,” on helping the U.S. when President Trump kicked off the war against Iran.
But Rutte added on Thursday that the military alliance countries were not aware of military strikes against Iran before they took place.
“When it came time to provide the logistical and other support the United States needed in Iran, some allies were a bit slow, to say the least,” the secretary general said at a Reagan Institute event in Washington, D.C.
“Nearly without exception, allies are doing everything” Washington has asked, Rutte said, adding that NATO countries have “heard and are responding" to Trump's requests.
Rutte's comments come less than 24 hours after he met with Trump at the White House and as the president has recently continued his tirade against NATO, arguing that the alliance’s members did not do enough to support the U.S. in the early days of attacks against Tehran.
Trump, after the Wednesday meeting with Rutte, with whom he has a warm relationship, once again criticized NATO.
“NATO WASN’T THERE WHEN WE NEEDED THEM, AND THEY WON’T BE THERE IF WE NEED THEM AGAIN. REMEMBER GREENLAND, THAT BIG, POORLY RUN, PIECE OF ICE!!!” the president wrote on Wednesday on Truth Social.
The secretary general referenced the president's displeasure with NATO on Thursday but argued that most European allies are doing what the Trump administration is asking.
“I sensed his disappointment about the fact that he felt that too many allies were not with him,” Rutte said, adding that he told Trump that the “majority of Europeans have done what the U.S. asked.”
Read the full report at thehill.com.
