‘Dear Donald’: Trump posts Nato chief’s praise amid Hague summit trip; calls action against Iran ‘extraordinary’ and bold
US President Donald Trump has released a series of messages from Nato secretary-general Mark Rutte, commending his strikes on Iran and his efforts to push allies to boost defense spending.He posted a screenshot of Rutte’s messages on his social media platform, Truth Social, on Tuesday while en route to the NATO summit in the Netherlands.Before his arrival for the summit, Rutte sent a pre-summit message to President Trump, praising his leadership of the western alliance and his role in the Iran conflict.“Mr President, dear Donald, Congratulations and thank you for your decisive action in Iran, that was truly extraordinary, and something no one else dared to do. It makes us all safer,” the message reads.“You are flying into another big success in The Hague this evening. It was not easy but we’ve got them all signed on to five percent,” Rutte added in text.When asked later whether it was embarrassing that his private message had been made public, Rutte told the BBC there was “absolutely no problem, there was nothing in it that had to stay secret.”Western leaders have had to manage their ties with Trump, whose approach to diplomacy is often seen as unpredictable. The two-day Nato summit has reportedly been shortened to fit his schedule.Nato leaders have gathered in The Hague for a summit described by German Chancellor Friedrich Merz as historic, with the goal of ensuring lasting peace in Europe for generations to come.This marks US President Donald Trump’s first Nato summit since 2019, with all 32 member leaders expected to pledge 5% of their national GDP toward defense and related infrastructure.He emphasized that the US president and top leadership showed a “total commitment” to Nato, along with an expectation that allies would match American defense spending.
