North Atlantic Treaty Organization chief Mark Rutte held discussions with United States President-elect Donald Trump in Florida on pressing “global security issues facing the alliance,” according to NATO spokeswoman Farah Dakhlallah.
The meeting took place on Friday in Palm Beach, Dakhlallah confirmed in a statement on Saturday.
Rutte, the former Dutch prime minister, sought the meeting with Trump just two days after Trump’s election victory on November 5. The talks come at a time when Europe’s leaders are increasingly alarmed by warming ties between North Korea and Russia, as well as broader threats to global security.
Rutte has expressed concerns over the growing cooperation among nations like North Korea, Iran, China, and Russia, which he says are united against Ukraine.
Speaking at a recent European leaders’ meeting in Budapest, Rutte warned, “What we see more and more is that North Korea, Iran, China and of course Russia are working together, working together against Ukraine. At the same time, Russia has to pay for this, and one of the things they are doing is delivering technology to North Korea,” a move he described as a significant threat to “the mainland of the US (and) continental Europe.”
Trump’s return to the presidency has unsettled many European leaders. During his first term, Trump strongly pressured Europe to increase its defence spending and questioned the fairness of the NATO alliance, raising doubts about the future of Washington’s commitment to NATO.
Now, with Trump poised to re-enter the White House, concerns are mounting over the potential impact on U.S. military aid to Ukraine. NATO allies consider continued support for Kyiv critical, not only for Ukraine’s survival but also for the security of both Europe and the United States.
Ahead of the meeting, Rutte said he was eager to discuss these challenges with Trump. “I look forward to sitting down with Donald Trump to discuss how we can face these threats collectively,” he said.
Rutte’s visit underscores NATO’s efforts to maintain strong transatlantic ties and to secure unified strategies to counter threats posed by adversarial nations. The alliance views collaboration with the U.S. as indispensable to navigating the complex security landscape.