NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte defended allies’ reaction to the Iran war Thursday even as he sought to reassure the world that the alliance was not in jeopardy.
President Donald Trump has repeatedly threatened to abandon the alliance over the U.S. military campaign. That appeared even more possible after a feisty meeting Wednesday between the two leaders that led to few concrete solutions for opening the Strait of Hormuz, a key pathway for much of the world’s oil that Iran has effectively blocked.
Rutte, during a speech in Washington, tried to thread the needle between an irate U.S. president and NATO members who felt unfairly maligned. He referred to the tense Wednesday meeting as “frank” and acknowledged that Trump “was disappointed” by the lack of military assistance from European allies. But he insisted that members were now offering essential support.
“Allies are doing everything the United States is asking,” Rutte said.
Trump reiterated his threats Wednesday night to abandon the alliance.
“NATO WASN’T THERE WHEN WE NEEDED THEM, AND THEY WON’T BE THERE IF WE NEED THEM AGAIN” he wrote in a social media post.
The secretary acknowledged that allies did not move at the pace Trump desired to assist with his efforts from Iran. But, he noted, they also had no idea the massive air campaign against Tehran was coming.
“When it came time to provide the logistical and [other] support the United States needed in Iran, some allies were a bit slow, to say the least,” he said. “In fairness, they were also a bit surprised.”
NATO countries “had to scramble” after the invasion to react, he said, noting some countries closed commercial airports to allow for U.S. tanker aircraft to operate.
“Each country is now looking for what they can do to make sure the strait remains open,” Rutte stressed.
The American demands come after the Trump administration spent months telling NATO leaders to pay attention to Europe and its own security so that Washington could focus on Asia Pacific and the Middle East.
The administration has “been telling us to focus on Russia and has pushed back on NATO activities in the Indo-Pacific and even Middle East,” said a NATO diplomat, who was granted anonymity to discuss internal conversations. It has caused whiplash, the person said.
Rutte insisted allies are not “whistling past the graveyard” on the health of the alliance and questioned why allies have a “knot in their stomach” over the transatlantic bond.
Instead, he portrayed increased European defense spending as “a move from unhealthy codependence" to a more “interdependent” relationship.
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