NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte has rejected speculation that the US is ending its membership in the NATO alliance.
– “I don’t see the US leaving NATO,” Rutte said in an interview with the Sunday edition of Germany’s Die Welt newspaper.
– The NATO chief said he also does not question contnued US nuclear protection of Europe.
– “The American nuclear umbrella is the ultimate guarantor of security here in Europe. And I am convinced that it will remain so,” Rutte said.
– “President Trump is clearly disappointed with some NATO members,” Rutte told Die Welt, adding that “I understand his frustration.”
– The remarks echoed what Rutte had said after his meeting with Trump at the White House last week, following the two-week ceasefire between the US and Iran.
– “He is clearly disappointed with many NATO allies, and I can see his point,” Rutte told US broadcaster CNN.
– “This was a very frank, very open discussion, but also a discussion between two good friends,” added Rutte, who has been dubbed the “Trump whisperer.”
– In a post on Truth Social after the meeting, Trump wrote in capitalized letters that “NATO wasn’t there when we needed them, and they won’t be there if we need them again.“