NATO Chief heads to the White House to soothe the president ahead of next month's summit

Published 24 June 2026 · us

NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte will check in face-to-face with President Donald Trump on Wednesday (June 24, 2026), visiting the volatile U.S. leader two weeks before

NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte will check in face-to-face with President Donald Trump on Wednesday (June 24, 2026), visiting the volatile U.S. leader two weeks before the annual summit of the military alliance and as the Pentagon reviews the size of the U.S. military footprint in Europe. Trump has long been critical of NATO, arguing the U.S. carries more than its fair share of military spending. But his grievances have been louder since the Iran war as he fumed over some member countries ignoring his call to help him restart oil trade through the shuttered Strait of Hormuz. Trump has renewed his threats to leave the 77-year-old alliance, raising the stakes before the NATO leaders' summit in Turkey next month. But Mr. Rutte, who has become known as a Trump whisperer for his ability to charm the President, is expected to use Wednesday's (June 24, 2026) White House meeting to try to appease him. The visit, Mr. Rutte's fifth since Mr. Trump returned to power last year, comes after U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth last week lashed out at allies during a meeting at NATO headquarters in Brussels.

He announced a si month Pentagon review of American forces in Europe. Hegseth echoed some of Mr. Trump's critiques, faulting European allies for not letting the U.S. use bases in Europe to attack Iran. NATO allies were not consulted about the war before the U.S. launched it with Israel on Feb. 28, and some have been openly critical of Mr. Trump's strategy. Trump has claimed NATO allies were not there for the U.S. and suggested leaving the alliance, which was founded in 1949 to counter the Cold War threat posed to European security by the Soviet Union. At the heart of their treaty is a mutual defence agreement in which an attack on one is considered an attack on all. The only time it has been invoked was in 2001, to support the United States after the Sept. 11 attacks on New York and Washington. The Pentagon's warning that it will reduce its military presence in Europe to focus on threats elsewhere was the latest upheaval for the 32-member alliance since Mr. Trump returned to office. The Republican leader stunned European allies last year when he threatened to annex Greenland, a semiautonomous island that is part of ally Denmark.

Earlier Wednesday (June 24, 2026), the leaders of five big European NATO allies – Germany, France, the U.K., Italy and Poland – met in Berlin to prepare for next month's summit in Ankara, and Mr. Rutte joined them remotely. German Chancellor Friedrich Merz said in remarks to reporters that the Ankara summit also should send the message that “we will do our part when the conditions are in place” to support an Iran peace deal. French President Emmanuel Macron said "we are in a moment of reconvergence between the Europeans and the Americans” and indicated that he hopes that will continue at the summit. A chief part of Mr. Rutte's mission these days is keeping the U.S. in NATO, and he's proven himself deft in the past at subduing Mr. Trump's frustrations. Rutte frequently flatters the President, crediting him with getting NATO members to increase their defense spending. Mr. Trump last year pressured leaders to agree to invest 5% of their GDP annually on defence by 2035. On Tuesday (June 23, 2026) evening, Mr. Rutte appeared for an interview on Fox News Channel, of which Mr. Trump is known to be a dedicated viewer.