- Title: FILE: Trump to meet NATO's Rutte as rifts over Iran threaten NATO alliance
- Date: 1st April 2026
- Summary: President Donald Trump on March 17 said the United States had been informed by most of its NATO allies that they did not want to get involved with the country's military operation in Iran, a move he described as a "very foolish mistake." Speaking at an Oval Office event, Trump said NATO countries were supportive of the joint U.S.-Israeli war, which has now entered its thir
- Embargoed:
- Keywords: ALLIANCE DEFENCE IRAN MILITARY NATO RUSSIA SPENDING STRAIT OF HORMUZ TRUMP UKRAINE US WAR
- Location: VARIOUS
- City: VARIOUS
- Country: US
- Topics: Conflicts/War/Peace,North America
- Reuters ID: LVA009919001042026RP1
- Aspect Ratio: 16:9
- Story Text: U.S. President Donald Trump will host NATO Chief Mark Rutte at the White House on Wednesday (April 8), as differences over the Iran war have introduced new fissures in the transatlantic military alliance.
Rutte will visit Washington on Wednesday for what a spokesperson for the military alliance called a "long-planned visit" that comes after Trump blasted European allies over differences on the Iran war.
"I can confirm that the Secretary General will be in DC next week for a long-planned visit," NATO spokesperson Allison Hart said. A White House official also confirmed the visit.
Trump said he was considering pulling the U.S. out of the Western military alliance due to the refusal of European members to send ships to unblock the Strait of Hormuz.
In remarks last week, to allies gathered for an Easter lunch at the White House, Trump criticized France and the United Kingdom, among other U.S. allies, as a “paper tiger."
NATO, which includes European countries, the U.S. and Canada, was formed in 1949 with the aim of countering the risk of Soviet attack and has been the cornerstone of the West's security ever since.
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