The meeting between US President Donald Trump and NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte was held in a tense atmosphere and was accompanied by harsh statements by the American leader. Politico reports this with reference to sources among European officials.
The conversation actually turned into a tirade of insults, during which Trump expressed irritation with the position of his European partners.
Eyewitnesses say that the US president made it clear that steps in response to the actions of the allies were possible, although he did not specify their nature. In particular, he spoke about Washington's expectations for Europe's more active participation in the resumption of navigation in the Strait of Hormuz. At the same time, the White House denied putting forward specific demands, saying that Trump does not expect anything from NATO at the moment, as the Alliance has "failed the test."
"It went shit. The conversation was nothing but a tirade of insults," one European official said.
NATO spokeswoman Allison Hart called the conversation "frank" and "constructive," denying claims that it was unsuccessful. Mark Rutte himself admitted that he felt the American president's disappointment, but diplomats consider the visit useful, as it allowed Trump to vent his emotions without taking radical action.
To date, the allies have not received official reports on the content of the meeting, and European countries are ready to discuss the issue of military participation in the Strait of Hormuz only after the end of hostilities.
As the Ukrainian News agency earlier reported, Donald Trump's administration is increasing pressure on European partners, demanding that they take on the main burden of ensuring security in the strategically important Strait of Hormuz.
After his meeting with Trump, NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte confirmed the existence of serious tensions within the Alliance over the military campaign in the Middle East.
Ahead of their meeting, the White House said that US President Donald Trump had discussed and was going to discuss with North Atlantic Alliance Secretary General Mark Rutte a possible withdrawal from NATO.
Meanwhile, Iranian Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf said that the United States had violated some of the agreements before the start of the negotiation process. According to him, we are talking about three of the ten points of the framework agreement, which Tehran has identified as the basis for a possible end to the conflict.
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