NATO: Rutte between rock and…

Brussels 09.04.2026 NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte declined to convey whether the President Donald Trump had repeated his threat to abandon the military organization, but he indicated that the leader was disappointed in some allies for being too slow to react with the Iran war.

🇺🇸🇮🇷 CNN's Jake Tapper: “When Trump threatened to kill the entire Iranian civilization, did that bother you as a diplomat?”

Mark Rutte: “Well, you know what I always say when it comes to what leaders are saying: I'm not commenting on everything. What I want you to know is that I… pic.twitter.com/7EyXG9t5B6

— HOT SPOT (@HotSpotHotSpot) April 9, 2026

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Rutte’s remarks came a day after he weathered an ordeal with Trump, following months of tensions over Trump’s threats to seize Greenland from Denmark.

The U.S.-Israel war on Iran does not concern the world’s biggest defence alliance, moreover NATO allies were not consulted about it, but Trump has lashed out the allies for their lack of support.

🚨🇺🇸 CNN asks NATO's Rutte if the world is safer today than before the war.

His answer: "Absolutely, thanks to President Trump's leadership."

The same Trump he just couldn't rate a 1 out of 10 for on NATO.

Rutte is trying to survive this relationship one compliment at a time,… https://t.co/76wbpjEXl1 pic.twitter.com/Xcf56DzHme

— Mario Nawfal (@MarioNawfal) April 8, 2026

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Since launching the war, Trump has derided U.S. allies as “cowards,” slammed NATO as “a paper tiger” and compared U.K. Prime Minister Keir Starmer to Neville Chamberlain, who is probably best remembered for a policy of appeasement toward Nazi Germany.

🚨 BREAKING

NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte:

"Regarding providing the support the U.S. needs in Iran, some allies have acted a bit slowly." pic.twitter.com/YPVmESRSqA

— GBX (@GBX_Press) April 9, 2026

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Trump already threatened to walk out in 2018 during his first term. His complaint now is that some allies ignored his call to help as Iran effectively shut the Strait of Hormuz, a vital trade waterway.

NATO Secretary General Rutte speaks in Washington, DC https://t.co/zMhQeBzU5s

— Reuters (@Reuters) April 9, 2026

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At their Summit in The Hague on Wednesday 25 June, the Allies made an official commitment to spend 5% of their GDP on defence by 2035, with a revision clause in 2029 “in light of the strategic environment and updated Capability Targets”.

An objective which, according to NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte, would never have been achieved without pressure from US President Donald Trump.

🚨 BREAKING: NATO SecGen Mark Rutte DEMANDS Europe "step it up" after President Trump considers pulling troops out of allied countries for punishment

Rutte KNOWS NATO has abandoned us!

"He was disappointed yesterday…I totally understand that over time, the U.S. wants more and… pic.twitter.com/RodY7ovZ5x

— Eric Daugherty (@EricLDaugh) April 9, 2026

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The one exception was Spain, the socialist government of which balked at the increased spending commitment and received an opt-out, to the disappointment of Trump, who launched a blitz of social media posts against the Spanish government and declared that, in consequence, Spain would have to pay twice as much in tariffs in any future trade deal with the U.S.