NATO chief to visit Washington to ease tensions ahead of Ankara summit

NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte is scheduled to visit Washington next Tuesday for a three-day trip aimed at smoothing over tensions between the United States and its allies ahead of the annual NATO summit in Ankara in July. According to sources within the Alliance, Rutte hopes to restore relations that have been strained by European opposition to the US-Israeli military campaign against Iran.

The visit, scheduled for June 23-25, comes as NATO allies prepare for a summit that they hope will be more cohesive following months of transatlantic disputes. Sources say the recent agreement between Washington and Tehran has reduced the risk of the July summit turning into a confrontation between President Donald Trump and European leaders. "Now that there is an agreement, it puts us in a better position," a NATO official told Euronews, adding that Trump "will be in a better place" after the confirmation of the peace deal with Iran.

Tensions escalated when Trump became angry at some NATO countries that initially refused to grant US forces access to European bases for operations related to the conflict. Germany, however, provided full access to Ramstein Air Base, which was used to coordinate drone strikes and missile attacks against Iran. Relations with Washington soured further after German Chancellor Friedrich Merz criticized US actions in the conflict. Trump responded by reducing the US military presence in Germany and publicly rebuking allies he felt did not support the campaign.

During the summit, discussions are expected to focus heavily on European efforts to restore freedom of navigation through the Strait of Hormuz following the US-Iran agreement to cease hostilities. Reports indicate that on the sidelines of the G7 summit, President Trump expressed readiness to support Ukraine and increase pressure on Russia in exchange for European allies' assistance in demining the Strait of Hormuz.

Additionally, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz is reportedly planning to hold a meeting with European leaders later this month to develop a strategy for managing relations with Trump at the NATO summit in July.