NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte is scheduled to visit the White House on Thursday to discuss with Donald Trump the role of the United States as a leading member of the transatlantic alliance.
Reports UNN with reference to the NATO Spokesperson page on X and Euronews.
NATO Spokesperson, NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte is in Washington, D.C., USA. At 17:15 (CET) bilateral meeting with Donald Trump.
According to Euronews, the former Dutch Prime Minister and NATO Secretary General flew to Washington for an important meeting with Donald Trump.
During his visit to the White House, Mark Rutte will have to convince President Trump that U.S. interests are best protected as a core member of the Atlantic Alliance.
According to an American source, the United States will insist that NATO allies focus on their duty to defend themselves without relying on U.S. support.
An American official in a comment to Euronews says that the NATO Secretary General is very focused on keeping the United States in the alliance.
We will focus on Article 3 of the NATO Charter: "allies must be able to defend themselves and contribute to the collective defense of the alliance"
At the same time, Trump said that the United States will remain in NATO, but:
If they treat us fairly and pay their bills. I made a statement that I am not going to participate in NATO if they do not pay their bills
Let us recall
NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte stated the need to increase European defense budgets above 3% of GDP. The Alliance needs to increase the production of ammunition, ships, tanks and other military equipment.