Diyar Guldogan
09 April 2026•Update: 09 April 2026
NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte underscored the candid nature of his discussions with US President Donald Trump on Wednesday, describing their meeting as “very open” amid the president's "disappointment" with the alliance over the Iran war.
"It was a very frank, it was a very open discussion. He clearly told me what he thought of what happened over the last couple of weeks," Rutte said during an interview with CNN.
Rutte's remarks came after his closed-door meeting with Trump at the White House.
Earlier, White House spokeswoman Karoline Leavitt told reporters that Trump believes NATO was "tested, and they failed" during the Iran war.
Asked if he agrees that some NATO countries were "tested and failed," Rutte said, "Some of them, yes, but a large majority of European countries, and that's what we discussed today, have done what they promised before in a case like this."
The NATO chief said he told Trump that a large majority of European countries were helpful with logistics and other commitments.
"Europe as a platform of power projection for the United States was in full play over the last six weeks. And yes, it is true, not all European nations lived up to those commitments, and I totally understand that He is disappointed about it," he added.
When asked how many NATO-allied countries thought that the war that Trump and Israel waged against Iran was "illegal" and whether it was a "prevalent view," Rutte said "no."
"Because NATO has always taken the position that degrading these capabilities of nuclear and ballistic missiles is crucial," he said.
The NATO chief was also asked whether Trump told him he was going to try to withdraw the US from NATO.
"I also pointed him to the fact that it was his leadership that brought about The Hague spending commitment. So the 5%, which is a transformational change in NATO. It is a transformational legacy he leaves behind," Rutte replied.
Earlier, the Wall Street Journal reported that the Trump administration is weighing a plan to punish some NATO member countries for their reluctance to support the US and Israel during the war with Iran.
Citing administration officials, the report said the proposal would involve moving US troops out of NATO countries deemed unhelpful to the Iran war effort and stationing them in nations more supportive of the US military campaign.
