US President Donald Trump bashed NATO and appeared to renew his threats over Greenland after a closed-door meeting with alliance chief Mark Rutte, during which he was expected to discuss possibly leaving the pivotal security bloc.
Trump’s outrage at NATO allies over their failure to join in his war against Iran had prompted fears he would seek to pull the United States out of the nearly eight-decade-old alliance.
However, in his first remarks after the meeting, he simply reiterated his frustration.
“NATO WASN’T THERE WHEN WE NEEDED THEM, AND THEY WON’T BE THERE IF WE NEED THEM AGAIN,” he posted on Truth Social.
“REMEMBER GREENLAND, THAT BIG, POORLY RUN, PIECE OF ICE!!!” he added, without any further explanation.
Before Trump launched his war on Iran, his threat to seize the vast Arctic island from NATO ally Denmark was a key issue roiling the alliance.
Rutte - the former Dutch premier, dubbed the “Trump whisperer” for his skill in flattering the mercurial US leader - entered the West Wing through a side gate and their meeting was held behind closed doors.
“It was a very frank, it was a very open discussion,” Rutte later told CNN in a televised interview.
Asked multiple times if Trump had said whether he would leave the alliance, Rutte did not answer directly.
White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt told reporters ahead of the meeting that a possible withdrawal is “something the president has discussed, and I think it’s something the president will be discussing in a couple of hours with Secretary General Rutte”.
The Wall Street Journal, meanwhile, reported that Trump was alternatively looking at punishing some NATO members he believed were unhelpful during the conflict by moving US troops out of their countries.
The meeting came one day after the United States and Iran agreed to a fragile two-week ceasefire.
The US president has branded NATO a “paper tiger” for refusing to lead efforts to open the strategic Strait of Hormuz and for limiting US forces from using bases on their territories.
Trump has lashed out at several leaders personally, lambasting UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer as “no Winston Churchill” and ridiculing Britain’s aircraft carriers as “toys”.
The plan reported by the Wall Street Journal would fall short of Trump’s oft-hinted threats to pull the United States out of NATO entirely - a move for which he would need the approval of Congress.
“DADDY”
NATO’s secretary general, however, boasts a record of pulling Trump back onto his side.
Ahead of the White House visit, Rutte met with US Secretary of State Marco Rubio to talk about Iran, Russia’s war against Ukraine and NATO responsibilities.
“The two leaders discussed Operation Epic Fury, ongoing US-led efforts to bring a negotiated end to the Russia-Ukraine war, and increasing coordination and burden shifting with NATO Allies,” said State Department Principal Deputy Spokesperson Tommy Pigott.
Rutte is also expected to meet with Pentagon chief Pete Hegseth during his time in Washington.
NATO has been buffeted by crisis after crisis since Trump returned to power last year - most acutely by his threat to seize Greenland.
In recent months, he has also pulled the rug out from under Ukraine in its war against Russia and threatened to not protect allies unless they spend more on defence.
Russia and China have been watching with glee as Trump rubbishes the alliance.
Rutte has been central to allied efforts to flatter and mollify the US leader, whom he called “daddy” at a summit last year.
On Iran, he has sought to thread the needle by calling US efforts to degrade Tehran’s military capability something to “applaud”.
Source: AFP
-- Agencies
