Rutte Secretary General to Meet President Trump Ahead of NATO Summit Next Month

JAKARTA - The Secretary-General of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) will meet with US President Donald Trump at the White House on Wednesday, to ease tensions over the war in Iran and the US threat to reduce troops in Europe ahead of the important NATO leaders' summit in July in Ankara, Turkey.

Rutte's visit is part of the final preparations for the July 7-8 summit in Ankara, NATO spokeswoman Allison Hart said.

The summit "will focus on how Allied countries fulfill the commitments made last year at the NATO summit in The Hague, including increased defense investment, expansion of defense industrial production, and continued support for Ukraine," Hart said, launching Al Arabiya from Reuters (24/6).

The NATO alliance is under unprecedented pressure, with some European countries worried Washington might pull out entirely, which would be an extraordinary move that would call into question the future of the alliance. Trump in the past has threatened to do just that.

President Trump, who has long been a critic of NATO and called the alliance a 'paper tiger', was angry at NATO's reluctance to support the US in the Middle East conflict or help reopen the Strait of Hormuz, after the US-Israeli attack on Iran on February 28 disrupted the main routes for the shipment of oil and gas and other vital commodities.

Meanwhile, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth last week slammed allies for "free riding" on NATO meetings and announced a six-month review of US troop deployments in Europe that could result in some American troop reductions.

This followed the US decision to reduce the number of US military capabilities available to the alliance in a crisis situation, making it difficult for members to find ways to fill the gap.

On the other hand, since Trump was elected in November 2024, Rutte has had to manage Trump's tensions with NATO, preventing tense moments, including the Republican politician's attempt to acquire Greenland, from developing into a protracted crisis.

Wednesday's meeting is likely to follow that pattern.

"I suspect he was trying to reach an understanding with Trump to ensure that the NATO summit was either a success or a total failure," said Stephen Wertheim, senior researcher at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, a Washington-based think tank.

"The NATO summit has the potential to pose a significant risk because Trump is upset and erratic, and even if Rutte comes and thinks he has an understanding with Trump, who knows what will happen two weeks later," said Wertheim.

Tensions have been rising in recent months. After NATO allies refused to support a campaign against Iran, which he started without prior consultation, President Trump publicly questioned whether the US should remain committed to the NATO mutual defense pact and said he was considering leaving the alliance.

A few months earlier, the US President claimed Greenland, an autonomous territory belonging to Denmark, a fellow NATO member.

Rutte's secretary-general directed the shaky transatlantic alliance back from the brink of destruction, cementing his reputation as "Trump's whisperer."

In an interview on Tuesday with Fox News, Rutte's secretary-general described the incident of several NATO members who refused the right of US bases and flights for war-related activities as "isolated," saying hundreds of US aircraft took off from US bases across Europe to support Washington's war, which he said he would convey to Trump on Wednesday.

"We will also see the bigger picture of what he is doing for NATO," Rutte said, adding that NATO members are increasing their defense spending and that he will reveal the "big" numbers on Wednesday.

Rutte is also expected to meet with members of Congress. His visit comes as the United States believes there is an "unhealthy interdependence" by Europe on US forces.

Nevertheless, Secretary General Rutte has maintained strong ties with Pentagon officials, and Hegseth spoke warmly of his leadership at an event in Brussels last week.

At last year's summit in The Hague, NATO leaders backed Trump's call for a major increase in defense spending, pledging to spend 5 percent of GDP on defense and defense-related measures in a decade.

But while some European countries have sharply increased defense spending, others have lagged.