Overview
- NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte meets President Trump at the White House on Wednesday, a day after the United States and Iran agreed to a two-week ceasefire.
- Trump has threatened to exit NATO and called it a "paper tiger" after European allies refused access to bases or airspace and declined to send warships to the Strait of Hormuz during the fighting.
- Rutte seeks to cool tensions by stressing NATO’s value and Europe’s higher defense spending, with no plan to commit the alliance to Middle East operations while hostilities persist.
- U.S. legislation passed in 2023 requires a two-thirds Senate vote to leave NATO, though analysts say a president could still shrink U.S. involvement by cutting funds, pulling troops from Europe, or limiting intelligence sharing.
- European officials are weighing greater strategic autonomy as experts warn the split could sap support for Ukraine, push up energy and shipping costs linked to Hormuz, and give Russia an opening.