NATO chief retorts at Trump and says allies are doing ‘everything the US asks’

NATO Secretary General, Mark Rutte, in a speech at the Ronald Reagan Foundation, in Washington DC, in the United States, on April 9, 2026. REUTERS/Kevin Lamarque NATO Secretary General, Mark Rutte, responded this Thursday (9) to criticisms made by the President of the United States, Donald Trump, to the military alliance. Rutte said that, contrary to what Trump said, member countries were doing everything Trump requested to strengthen the military alliance, but said the allies were “surprised” by the attack on Iran, for which the US requested help. ✅ Follow g1’s international news channel on WhatsApp “When it came time to provide the logistical and other support that the United States needed in Iran, some allies were a little slow, to say the least. But, to be fair, they were also a little surprised. To maintain the element of surprise in the initial strikes, President Trump chose not to inform allies in advance. And I understand that,” Rutte said during a speech in Washington. See the videos that are trending on g1 “But what I see, when I look at Europe today, is that the allies are providing support on a massive scale. (…) Almost without exception, the allies are doing everything the United States asks. They have listened and are responding to President Trump’s requests,” Rutte added. Rutte’s comments came after a meeting with US President Donald Trump on Wednesday. Diplomats told Reuters, Trump has informed some capitals that he wants concrete commitments in the coming days to help ensure the security of the Strait of Hormuz. Trump is considering punishing the alliance countries for what he considered a lack of support in the US war against Iran, according to “The Wall Street Journal”. The head of the military alliance also stated that Europe is raising resources to rearm itself and seek to increase the image of a stronger Europe — another of Trump’s demands. According to Rutte, this attitude and others, such as the initiative to ensure flow in the Strait of Hormuz, represent a “change in mentality” that is taking place within NATO. Rutte also criticized what he called “alarmist reporting” by the international press about the “Nato obituary”. “I will make this very clear: this alliance is not ignoring the imminent danger,” he said. Another criticism that Rutte made of the Trump administration is that NATO is not “a one-way alliance”, as high-ranking US government officials have been saying in recent years. “It was not one-way when Allied troops [da Europa] fought in Afghanistan,” he said, referring to the war launched by the US in response to 9/11.

Source link