NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte expressed support for President Donald Trump’s efforts to encourage fellow alliance members to increase their defense spending. During their meeting in the Oval Office, Rutte acknowledged that Trump’s comments have raised doubts about his commitment to the transatlantic alliance and its mutual defense treaty.
Rutte welcomed Trump’s success in getting some member countries to exceed the 2% of GDP defense spending target, which he cited as “really staggering.” He also mentioned recent commitments from the UK and Germany to boost their security spending. However, Rutte noted that more work is needed to achieve NATO’s goals.
Trump has faced criticism for his comments on NATO spending, but he claims credit for encouraging other countries to increase their defense spending. The US president believes that a 2% of GDP threshold is too low and argues that his “tough love” approach has made nations stronger.
The two leaders also discussed a proposed 30-day ceasefire in Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. Trump expressed guarded optimism about Russian President Vladimir Putin’s openness to a ceasefire, but emphasized the need for concrete conditions to be met before negotiations can begin.
Source: https://apnews.com/article/trump-rutte-nato-russia-ukraine-6607c88c1015de0923f9d4b138546364