Published on 6/23/2026
Yesterday, Monday, US President Donald Trump accused a number of European allies of failing to support the United States during its war on Iran, ahead of the visit of NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte to Washington.
Trump seemed to question the United States’ future security commitments to Europe, saying that Washington had spent huge sums of money over the years to help protect the continent, but major allies did not stand by its side when it asked them for support.
Trump said that he could refuse to provide assistance to countries in NATO if they requested it, adding, “We spent all this money, and then when we perhaps want to get help with small matters, they say no, we would rather not help.”
Trump singled out the United Kingdom, Germany, and Italy, saying, “We asked them to attend, but they were not on our side.” The US President did not clarify the nature of the support that Washington requested from these countries.
American officials have repeatedly criticized NATO allies for what they described as insufficient support during the war on Iran.
Visit Rutte
NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte is expected to visit Washington from Tuesday to Thursday, and his agenda will include a meeting with Trump at the White House, in addition to talks with prominent American officials.
Recently, Rutte denied that the United States was abandoning its allies by announcing a reduction in the number of forces and assets it placed at the disposal of the alliance, stressing that Washington had reformulated its commitments in line with the model of NATO forces.
Rutte stressed that what is being portrayed as a crisis and an American abandonment of the allies is not accurate, explaining that the United States has modified its pledges to move from focusing on the locations of the forces currently to focusing on the specific roles and tasks of each country, if the alliance’s defense plans are activated.
Despite tense relations with the alliance, Trump is scheduled to attend the NATO summit in Ankara next month.
