NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte said Thursday that the alliance is not “whistling past the graveyard” and members are doing everything US Donald Trump has requested, but he acknowledged that some allies were initially “a bit slow” to support the United States with its war with Iran.
“In fairness, they were also a bit surprised. To maintain the element of surprise for the initial strikes, President Trump opted not to inform allies ahead of time,” Rutte said in a speech in Washington, News.Az reports, citing CNN.
“But what I see, when I look across Europe today, is allies providing a massive amount of support,” he continued. “Nearly without exception, allies are doing everything the United States is asking. They have heard and are responding to President Trump’s requests.”
Rutte also said that NATO would be willing to play a role in a possible Strait of Hormuz mission if it is able to do so and praised the United Kingdom for “leading a coalition of countries” to ensure free passage through the critical waterway.
“If NATO can help, obviously then there is no reason not to be helpful,” he said.
Rutte spoke a day after visiting Trump at the White House. The NATO chief told CNN’s Jake Tapper shortly after their meeting that he understood the president’s disappointment and that the two shared a frank and open discussion between “two good friends.” However, Trump continued to lash out at NATO allies following the meeting in a post on his Truth Social platform.