NATO's Rutte aims to soothe Trump on White House visit ahead of July summit

NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte is set to visit the White House on Wednesday for a meeting with US President Donald Trump, aiming to defuse tensions arising from the Iran conflict and Washington's threats to reduce troop levels in Europe. The visit comes just weeks before a crucial NATO summit scheduled for July 7-8 in Ankara.

Trump, a longstanding critic of NATO who has labeled the alliance a "paper tiger," has been angered by members' reluctance to support the US in the Middle East or assist in reopening the Strait of Hormuz after a US-Israeli attack on Iran on February 28 disrupted a major oil shipping route. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth last week berated "free-riding" allies at a NATO meeting and announced a six-month review of US troop deployments in Europe, which could lead to reductions. This followed a US decision to shrink the pool of military capabilities available to the alliance in a crisis, leaving members scrambling to fill gaps.

Since Trump's election in November 2024, Rutte has focused on managing the president's hostility toward NATO and preventing tense moments—including Trump's push to acquire Greenland—from escalating into a lasting crisis. Wednesday's meeting is expected to follow that pattern. "I expect he is trying to get on the same page with Trump to make sure that the NATO summit is a success or not a wipeout," said Stephen Wertheim, senior fellow at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace. He noted that the summit carries significant risk because Trump is upset and erratic.

In a Fox News interview on Tuesday, Rutte described instances of NATO members denying US basing and overflight rights for war-related activities as "isolated," noting that hundreds of US planes took off from bases across Europe to support Washington's war. He said he would convey this to Trump and also highlight the "bigger picture" of what Trump is doing for NATO, as well as reveal "huge" numbers on defense spending increases.

The visit is part of final preparations for the Ankara summit, said NATO spokesperson Allison Hart. The summit will focus on how allies are delivering on commitments made at last year's Hague summit, including increasing defense investment, expanding defense industrial production, and continuing support for Ukraine. Rutte is also expected to meet with members of Congress.

Rutte's visit comes amid US concerns about Europe's "unhealthy co-dependence" on American forces. At last year's Hague summit, NATO leaders backed Trump's demand for a major defense spending increase, pledging to spend 5% of GDP on defense within a decade. While some European countries have sharply increased spending, others have lagged behind.