Belgium NATO Annual Report

NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte takes questions from journalists during the launch of the NATO Secretary General's Annual Report for 2025 at NATO headquarters in Brussels, Thursday, March 26, 2026.

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Trump complains NATO 'wasn't there when we needed them' after talks with alliance leader Rutte

Trump complains NATO 'wasn't there when we needed them' after talks with alliance leader Rutte

President Donald Trump repeated his complaint about NATO after a private meeting with the alliance's Secretary-General Mark Rutte on Wednesday. Trump has been angry with the military alliance because member countries ignored his call to help reopen a vital shipping waterway during the war with Iran. Iran effectively shut the Strait of Hormuz, sending gas prices soaring. Trump had suggested the U.S. may consider leaving the trans-Atlantic alliance over the issue. Rutte — who has a good working relationship with Trump — had been expected to try to smooth things over. But afterward, Trump issued an all-caps social media post saying, “NATO WASN’T THERE WHEN WE NEEDED THEM.”