NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte will visit Washington next week for what a spokesperson for the military alliance called a “long-planned visit” that comes after U.S. President Donald Trump blasted European allies over differences on the Iran war, Reuters reported.
“I can confirm that the Secretary General will be in DC next week for a long-planned visit,” Reuters quoted NATO spokesperson Allison Hart as saying. A White House official also confirmed the visit, according to Reuters.
Trump said he was considering pulling the U.S. out of the Western military alliance due to the refusal of European members to send ships to unblock the Strait of Hormuz.
In remarks on Wednesday to allies gathered for an Easter lunch at the White House, Trump criticized France and the United Kingdom, among other U.S. allies, as a “paper tiger.”
“We’ve had some very bad allies in NATO,” Reuters quoted Trump as saying. “Hopefully, we’re never going to need them. I don’t think we will need them.”
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