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The White House confirmed this Wednesday that President Donald Trump will discuss with Rutte the potential withdrawal of the United States from the Atlantic Alliance in a meeting taking place today in the Oval Office.
The presidential spokesperson Karoline Leavitt announced the meeting to the press and noted that Trump could make public statements that same afternoon.
"The United States' withdrawal from NATO is a matter that the president has addressed, and I believe it is something he will discuss in a couple of hours" with Rutte, Leavitt stated.
The visit of Rutte to Washington, scheduled from April 8 to 12, comes at a time of heightened tension between Trump and European allies, following weeks of unprecedented rhetorical escalation from the White House.
The origin of the crisis dates back to February 28, when the U.S. and Israel launched Operation Epic Fury against Iranian military and nuclear infrastructure without prior consultation with NATO allies.
Iran responded by closing the Strait of Hormuz, through which 20% of the world's oil passes, causing the price of Brent crude to soar above 110 dollars per barrel.
Trump demanded that his allies actively participate in operations to reopen the strait, but 22 NATO countries —including the United Kingdom, France, and Germany— only signed a diplomatic declaration without committing naval forces, which the American president interpreted as a betrayal.
Since then, Trump's rhetoric against the alliance has not ceased: on March 20, he called the member countries cowards on Truth Social and stated that "without the U.S., NATO is a paper tiger"; on April 1, he repeated that characterization in an interview with The Telegraph and mentioned that he does not rule out withdrawing the U.S. from the alliance.
On April 6, it was also revealed that the United Kingdom preferred to wait for the outcome of the conflict before committing militarily, despite having two aircraft carriers on high alert.
Leavitt summarized the official position of the White House with a direct quote from the president: "They were tested and failed".
The spokesperson added that "it is quite unfortunate that NATO has turned its back on the American people over the past six weeks, when it is precisely the American people who have been funding their defense."
The meeting this Wednesday coincides with the first day of a two-week ceasefire agreed upon between the U.S. and Iran, which includes the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz, although tensions with the Atlantic alliance persist.
The Kremlin, for its part, described NATO as a hostile alliance towards Russia and analysts believe that a potential U.S. exit from the organization would strategically benefit Moscow, particularly on the eastern European front.
The Secretary of State Marco Rubio met with Rutte before the meeting in the Oval Office, and Leavitt did not rule out that Trump might make public statements after the meeting: "You may have the opportunity to hear directly from the president after that meeting, later this afternoon."
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