FLASH
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The meeting between US President Donald Trump and NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte, held behind closed doors at the White House as part of a long-planned visit, took on a harsher tone as Trump criticized European countries, including Spain and France, for their refusal to support US and Israeli operations against Tehran, at a time when the conflict has entered a fragile ceasefire.
According to two European officials and a source familiar with the talks, the US president used the meeting as a platform to express his displeasure. “ It was a mess. The conversation was nothing more than a tirade of insults ,” said one European official. According to the same sources, Trump “apparently threatened to do almost anything.”
The same sources pointed out that Trump signaled that he was considering options for retaliation against allies, without providing concrete details, Politico reported.
Also, according to information from the meeting, the US president asked allies for concrete actions to help reopen the Strait of Hormuz as soon as possible.
However, a White House official gave a more nuanced version of the conversation, denying that Trump had made specific demands. “ As President Trump said, NATO was put to the test and they failed. He has no expectations for NATO at this point and he didn’t ask for anything, even though the fact is that they benefit from the Strait of Hormuz much more than the United States,” the official said.
After the meeting, Trump publicly criticized NATO allies and brought up his idea of annexing Greenland, a stance that has previously caused strong international reactions.
NATO, on the other hand, offered a more balanced interpretation of the developments. Alliance spokeswoman Allison Hart told Politico that Rutte and Trump “had a very frank conversation,” calling it “constructive” and dismissing claims of harsh clashes.
Even Mark Rutte himself acknowledged the tensions, stating the next day: "I felt his disappointment in the fact that he thought that many allies were not with him."
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