Rutte frames Trump’s NATO outbursts as allies push $1.2T defense rise
Why it matters: The Ankara summit tested alliance unity as Trump threatened Spain on trade and revived his push for Greenland.
NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte sought to steady the alliance after a tense summit in Ankara marked by President Donald Trump’s attacks on allies and demands for higher military spending. Rutte cast the friction as a “family argument” and praised Trump for driving Canada and European members to add about $1.2 trillion in defense spending over his time in office. During the gathering, Trump blasted Spain over spending, complained that NATO had not joined the US war with Iran and renewed his call for US control of Greenland. Rutte argued Trump remains committed to NATO and said Europe’s geography and bases are critical to US military power and to monitoring Russian submarine activity.