25.06.2026 President Trump denounced the European unwillingness to follow his administration war with Iran. This concerned, in particular, the opening of the European military bases for American use, such as for transit flights or other strategic logistical operations in Middle East during the U.S.-Iran war. Spain, in particular, opposed the practice, and refused from any participation in Trump’s administration inititative, which was taken without consulations with the NATO allies. In return President Trump named Spanish goverment policies “a horror show”.
🚨 President Trump just SLAMMED European NATO countries right in front of the Secretary General
"Spain is a HORROR SHOW. Spain is terrible."
"I was disappointed with Italy. I was disappointed with the UK… we were disappointed with Germany and France. We're disappointed with… pic.twitter.com/gWmLMwE23t
— Nick Sortor (@nicksortor) June 24, 2026
NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte had brought visual aids to the White House, the large cardboard boards with graphs and GOLD (!) lettering to illustrate the contributions of NATO allies.
Trump on NATO:
I just want loyalty from NATO. We have 50,000 troops in Germany. We want a little kiss, and they say, "We can't do it." pic.twitter.com/Pb4agvy8JR
— Clash Report (@clashreport) June 24, 2026
One of the graphs refering to the NATO contribution of the allies was titled ‘Trump trillion’. ‘When Trump became president, Europe and Canada spent about twelve hundred billion dollars more on defense in total’ Rutte explained.
It is completely beyond me why someone who has been prime minister of one the best countries in the world will sacrifice his dignity. Trump will be gone in 2,5 years and your memory will be like this for all time. It is not worth it. https://t.co/q7QmwOVrHf
— Rasmus Jarlov (@RasmusJarlov) June 24, 2026
“I know your frustrations,” Rutte said to Trump, while reacting to the emotional criticism of Trump. “But look at the numbers: four to five thousand American aircraft have taken off from European bases.”
Rutte cited Bucharest airport as an example, which temporarily closed due to American aircraft using the airport. Rutte called criticism directed at countries ‘isolated cases’. Rutte: ‘In general, your European allies have been there for you.’
Reporter: You often say that NATO is a defensive alliance. Were the regime change wars in Libya and Iraq defensive wars?
NATO's Rutte: I am not going to comment on everything. I can assure you NATO is here to defend! pic.twitter.com/nIpykkAygV
— Clash Report (@clashreport) June 24, 2026
A few hours prior to Rutte’s travel to the U.S., a spontaneous meeting of the E5 was held in Berlin. The UK, France, Italy, and Poland were there at the invitation of German Chancellor Friedrich Merz to exchange opinions on defense matters before NATO Ankara Summit on July 7. Rutte was also contacted during that high profile meeting.
Reporter: Turkey wants F-35 fighter jets. Are you going to Turkey with a big gift bag?
Trump: Yeah. I think so. He’s a member of NATO. I'm going to probably do something that's gonna make him very happy. Except for the fact that it was being held in Turkey by President Erdogan,… pic.twitter.com/a2u2DUUntx
— Acyn (@Acyn) June 24, 2026
The visit of the Alliance GenSec unfolded amid growing interest to the closed chat between the European leaders. Nowadays the EU Commission is facing an investigation by an ombudsman for its refusal to publish details of a secret group chat involving Ursula von der Leyen, Volodymyr Zelensky, Sir Keir Starmer and the other European leaders.
The group chat, reportedly known as the ‘Washington Group’, was established to discuss how to deal with the President Trump.
The Commission rejected a request from Dutch investigative organisation “Follow the Money” to access the correspondence, citing potential damage to the EU’s international relations.
Ombudsman Teresa Anjinho (tranlsated from Portuguese as ‘Little Angel’) launched an investigation into the Commission’s handling of the request, questioning its transparency and its failure to assess the documents or consider partial access.
The investigation is expected to take several months, with a meeting between the Commission and the Ombudsman scheduled for mid-July.
