Overview

• NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte ignited criticism by comparing European security doubts to a child asking its “papa” if the United States will stay committed
• Rutte maintained he spoke metaphorically about alliance anxiety and insisted he did not directly call President Trump “papa”
• President Trump surprised observers with an emotional endorsement of NATO and praised allies for agreeing to raise defense spending to at least 5 percent of GDP
• Prominent European commentators decried Rutte’s quip as a symbol of servility and public humiliation before the U.S. president
• Journalists were excluded from Trump’s private meeting with President Zelenskiy, prompting calls for greater transparency within the alliance