Trump Presses NATO Allies for Greater Loyalty Ahead of Summit

Since taking office as Mark Rutte, the former Dutch prime minister has worked to keep the United States firmly committed to North Atlantic Treaty Organization, often seeking to ease tensions with US President Donald Trump, Lorne Cook reported for The Associated Press (AP).

NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte and US President Donald Trump remain divided over alliance priorities ahead of the NATO summit. (Photo: NATO Flickr)

Ahead of this week's NATO summit in Turkey, alliance priorities have shifted.

While Trump has long criticized NATO members for failing to spend enough on defense, many allies committed last year to increase defense expenditures to levels comparable to those of the United States as a share of gross domestic product (GDP).

The alliance's current challenge is converting higher defense spending into greater military capability, particularly as European governments remain concerned about the threat posed by Russia.

During a White House meeting last month, Rutte sought to reinforce European contributions by presenting a chart titled "The Trump Trillion," highlighting approximately US$1.2 trillion in additional defense spending by European allies and Canada since 2017.

Trump, however, said he remained disappointed that some NATO members declined to participate in the US-Israeli military campaign against Iran.

"We don't need their money—we don't need anything," Trump said. "I just want loyalty."