In anticipation of this week’s NATO summit in Ankara, Turkey, NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte recently travelled to Washington, DC to talk with President Trump ahead of the high-level meeting. Rutte, who many have labelled a “Trump whisperer”, once more sought to calm the president’s frustrations over the alliance’s unwillingness to support the United States in the war against Iran, and the defence spending of many NATO countries, which the president deems too low.
While Rutte conceded that President Trump had a right to be upset with the lack of assistance by NATO partners in the war with Iran, he highlighted that 5,000 U.S. military flights took off from European air bases in direct relation to the war in Iran. He further argued that between 2016 and 2026, NATO countries—excluding the United States—spent $1.2 trillion more on their defense, a 20 per cent increase in 2025 alone. Europe is steadily accepting the strategic realities of the 21st century. The debate is therefore shifting from a question of spending to a question of capability.
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