Trump weighs NATO exit after meeting with Mark Rutte

Washington: US President Donald Trump discussed the possibility of the United States stepping back from NATO, as he met with Secretary General Mark Rutte, amidst widened differences over the alliance’s response to the Iran conflict.

The White House said Trump has been considering withdrawing from NATO, with Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt quoting the President as saying the alliance had fallen short.

“They were tested and they failed,” she told reporters at a White House news conference.

Leavitt added that leaving NATO remains under discussion. “It’s something the President has discussed, and I think it’s something the President will be discussing,” she said.

The meeting came amid Trump’s growing frustration with European allies for not fully backing US military actions against Iran.

Rutte acknowledged the tensions but said most allies had supported Washington. “He is clearly disappointed… but the large majority of European nations has been helpful,” he told CNN after the meeting.

He described the talks as “very frank, very open.”

Rutte said European countries had provided “basing, logistics, overflights” and other support during the conflict.

At the same time, he conceded that not all allies met expectations. “Some of them yes,” he said when asked if certain NATO countries had failed.

The talks also covered broader coordination, including efforts to secure shipping routes through the Strait of Hormuz and diplomatic moves to end the Russia-Ukraine war.

In a separate engagement, Secretary of State Marco Rubio met Rutte and discussed “increasing coordination and burden shifting with NATO Allies,” according to the State Department.

Republican congressional leaders stressed the alliance’s continued importance. “A strong NATO remains firmly in the US interest,” Senate Armed Services Committee Chairman Roger Wicker and House Armed Services Committee Chairman Mike Rogers said in a joint statement.

They said recent US military operations had “benefited significantly from the critical support of the vast majority of our NATO allies.”

Trump’s remarks have raised fresh concerns in Europe about US commitments to the alliance.

The White House later said the meeting between Trump and Rutte had ended, with no formal announcement on any policy shift.

NATO, formed in 1949, remains the core of Western collective defence. Its mutual defence clause binds members to come to each other’s aid.

IANS