- Title: FILE: Trump to meet NATO's Rutte as rifts over Iran threaten NATO alliance
- Date: 1st April 2026
- Summary: NATO leaders backed the big increase in defence spending that Trump had demanded, and restated their commitment to defend each other from attack. In a five-point statement, NATO endorsed a higher defence spending goal of 5% of GDP by 2035 - a response not only to Trump but also to Europeans' fears that Russia poses a growing threat to their security following the 2022 inva
- 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: LVA007919001042026RP1
- 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.
(Production: Carla O'Connor, Paul Warren) - Copyright Holder: POOL (CAN SELL)
- Copyright Notice: (c) Copyright Thomson Reuters 2026. Open For Restrictions - http://about.reuters.com/fulllegal.asp
- Usage Terms/Restrictions: None