‘I Was Disappointed’: Trump Tells NATO Chief He Was ‘Let Down’ By Allies Over Iran War Support
‘I Was Disappointed’: Trump Tells NATO Chief He Was ‘Let Down’ By Allies Over Iran War Support Published By, Last Updated: June 25, 2026, 03:19
‘I Was Disappointed’: Trump Tells NATO Chief He Was ‘Let Down’ By Allies Over Iran War Support Published By, Last Updated: June 25, 2026, 03:19 IST Donald Trump criticises NATO allies for lack of support on Iran and calls for loyalty, while Mark Rutte defends European contributions. US President Donald Trump met NATO chief Mark Rutte in the Oval Office of the White House on Wednesday. (Source: Reuters) United States President Donald Trump on Wednesday told NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte that he felt “let down" by members of the transatlantic alliance who did not support US actions against Iran. “We were let down. We didn’t need help on this at all. We demolished (Iran) literally in the first week, but it would have been nice if they had said, ‘We’d like to help,’" Trump said during a meeting with Rutte in the Oval Office of the White House. When asked about European support for US operations against Iran, Trump said, “They weren’t." ‘Spain Is A Horror Show’ Sharply criticising several NATO allies during the meeting, the US President said, “Spain is a horror show. Spain is terrible. I was disappointed with Italy. I was disappointed with the UK. We were disappointed with Germany and France. We’re disappointed with most of them. They don’t want to pay anything.
They think they’re in for a free ride." Trump Says He Wants ‘Loyalty’ From NATO Allies Responding to a reporter on what he wants from allies, Trump said, “I just want the loyalty. We don’t need their money, we don’t need anything. We have the most powerful military in the world by far." Also Read: ‘Shameful’: Hegseth Blasts NATO Allies, Orders Review Of US Forces In Europe “But I just want loyalty. You know, we’re so loyal to them. We’re always fighting for them! We have thousands of troops all over Europe. In Germany, we have 50,000 troops, and then you want a little, give us a little nudge, give us a little kiss. We don’t want much! And they say, no, we can’t do it. The troops that we have in Germany, the troops that we have in the UK, the troops that we have all over Europe," he added. ‘EU Allies Were With US’ Meanwhile, Rutte defended allied contributions and said they were with Trump. “First of all, about the nuclear capability Iran was getting its hands on…it would have been a threat to the region and the whole world. They were very close to getting their hands on the nuclear capability. You have seen all the leaders in the G7 applauding the fact that this nuclear capability has been degraded… 4,000 to 5,000 US planes taking off from bases in Europe in the six weeks this war took place… Bucharest, the airport in Romania, had to close for commercial traffic because they had to make sure that you were able to send a tank aircraft up in the air.
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