NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte is set to meet U.S. President Donald Trump at the White House on Wednesday (24 June) as the alliance faces growing pressure over the war with Iran and uncertainty about the future of American troops in Europe.
The meeting comes just weeks before a crucial NATO leaders' summit in Ankara, where allies hope to present a united front despite deepening strains within the alliance.
Tensions between Washington and its NATO partners have risen sharply in recent months.
Trump has criticised allies for failing to support the United States during the conflict with Iran and has questioned whether Washington should continue to stand by NATO's mutual defence commitments.
Last week, U.S. Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth criticised what he described as "free-riding" allies and announced a review of American troop deployments in Europe. The review could lead to reductions in the U.S. military presence on the continent.
The move has fuelled concerns among European governments, many of which remain heavily reliant on American military support.
Since taking the NATO role, Rutte has often found himself trying to smooth relations between Trump and the alliance.
Analysts believe his latest visit is aimed at ensuring the July summit avoids a public clash.
"I expect he is trying to get on the same page with Trump to make sure that the NATO summit is a success or not a wipeout," said Stephen Wertheim, a senior fellow at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace.
"The NATO summit carries a potential for significant risk because Trump is upset and erratic, and even if Rutte comes and thinks he has an understanding with Trump, who knows what two weeks later will bring," he added.
In an interview with Fox News ahead of the meeting, Rutte sought to downplay disagreements over the Iran conflict.
He described cases where some NATO members denied U.S. military requests as "isolated" and stressed that hundreds of American aircraft had operated from bases across Europe in support of Washington's military campaign.
"We will also zoom out from this to this bigger picture of what he is doing for NATO," Rutte said, referring to rising defence spending among alliance members.
He added that NATO countries were increasing military investment and promised to reveal "huge" new figures on Wednesday.
Rutte's visit forms part of the final preparations for the NATO summit on 7 and 8 July in Ankara.
According to NATO, discussions will focus on higher defence spending, expanding defence production and continued support for Ukraine.
At last year's summit, allies agreed to work towards spending 5% of GDP on defence and defence-related measures within a decade, a long-standing demand from Trump.
While some countries have increased spending significantly, others continue to lag behind.
As the summit approaches, many NATO members will be hoping Rutte can once again ease tensions and prevent another crisis in the transatlantic alliance.
European leaders are meeting in Finland for a high-level summit on Arctic security and cooperation as the region takes on greater strategic importa...
Georgia has been formally integrated into the European Union's Trans-European Transport Network (TEN-T), bringing Anaklia Deep-Sea Port, Georgi...
Türkiye’s foreign minister has renewed calls for the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) to disarm and disband, during talks with...
Maritime trackers received new reports of an attack on a ship in the Strait of Hormuz on Sunday, according to the UK Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO), adding to concerns about energy supplies after Saudi Arabia shut down a vital oil pipeline on Saturday.
A Kyiv-Warsaw train was struck near the Polish border, Ukraine's state railway firm said on Sunday. No passengers were injured. Ukrainian Railways said that the country's railways were facing systematic attacks for a second day and warned of widespread delays.
U.S. Central Command said 101 commercial vessels have been redirected in the Strait of Hormuz, while oil prices rose more than three per cent amid fresh regional attacks and supply concerns.
Swedes vote in an election on Sunday (13 September) that could see the far-right enter government for the first time if the country's right-wing parties can form a majority.
A Russian strike on a farm warehouse in Pryluky, north-central Ukraine, has killed at least three people, local police said. Meanwhile, EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas said an attack on a train near the Polish border was an attempt to intimidate Ukraine's allies.
A Russian strike on a farm warehouse in Pryluky, north-central Ukraine, has killed at least three people, local police said. Meanwhile, EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas said an attack on a train near the Polish border was an attempt to intimidate Ukraine's allies.
European leaders are meeting in Finland for a high-level summit on Arctic security and cooperation as the region takes on greater strategic importance.
Amazon has paused its operations with 21 Air, the Miami-based cargo carrier that operated an Amazon Air flight which crashed at Miami International Airport last weekend, killing five people.
Voters in the southern Philippines are casting ballots in a historic election that could shape the future of one of the country’s most conflict-affected regions and put a decades-long peace process to a crucial test.
U.S. President Donald Trump has pushed back against growing calls for the artificial intelligence (AI) industry to slow down, arguing that maintaining America’s lead over China is more important.
You can download the AnewZ application from Play Store and the App Store.
What is your opinion on this topic?
Leave the first comment