Rutte travels to Washington to calm Trump-allies tensions
NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte (hoto: Getty Images)
NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte will travel to Washington next Tuesday ahead of the Alliance's annual summit, which will be held in Ankara in July, according to his statement
Relations between the United States and its NATO allies have strained after Trump accused European countries of being unwilling to join the war in Iran. Specifically, European countries refused to provide the White House chief with bases for the US military to strike Iranian targets.
In response, Trump reacted negatively toward the allies — he repeatedly stated afterwards about a possible US withdrawal from NATO.
That is precisely why the NATO Secretary General is heading to Washington next week, as allies seek to ease transatlantic tensions ahead of the Alliance's annual summit in July.
It is expected that Europe's efforts to restore freedom of navigation through the Strait of Hormuz following the US-Iran agreement to end hostilities will feature prominently in the discussions.
"The restoration of free passage through the Strait of Hormuz would be a massive step forward," Rutte told journalists at NATO headquarters in Brussels on Wednesday.
""I know that many Allies, through the initiative led by France and the United Kingdom, are ready to support this effort," he added.
Rutte's visit to the US on June 23-25 will take place against the backdrop of allies' preparations for the summit, which NATO officials believe will be more united after months of transatlantic misunderstandings.
The Secretary General has already spoken ahead of the NATO defense ministers' meeting in Brussels, another key milestone before the summit. US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth is expected to attend.
Peace agreement improved expectations
According to officials, the US agreement with Tehran has reduced the risk that the July summit will turn into a confrontation between President Trump and European leaders.
"Now there's a deal, it places us in a better position," one NATO official told Euronews, adding that Trump will be in a better place after the confirmation of the peace agreement with Iran.
“Let’s face it: every time it was going bad in Iran, there was a big backlash for NATO allies," the source added.
Trump is expected to attend the summit on July 7-8 in Ankara, where allies are expected to pledge further increases in defense spending and a significant expansion of weapons production.
The day before, Volodymyr Zelenskyy held a meeting in Brussels with NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte. The parties discussed strengthening Ukrainian air defense and other issues regarding the reinforcement of Ukraine.
