The Secretary General of NATO, Mark Rutte, assured this Monday that European countries “understood the message” sent by the President of the United States, Donald Trump, in relation to his greater involvement in the military commitments of the Atlantic Alliance, especially in the context of the conflict with Iran and the use of military bases in Europe.
The statements came during a summit of the European Political Community in Armenia, at a time of growing tension between Washington and several European partners. According to Rutte, although there has been “some disappointment” on the U.S. side with the level of European support, the situation is changing rapidly and allies are responding with
greater operational commitment.One of the key points of the debate is the use of European military bases for operations related to the conflict in Iran. In this regard, Rutte stated that several NATO countries are complying with existing bilateral agreements and providing logistical support to US forces. Among them, he mentioned the United Kingdom, France, Germany, Italy, Greece, Portugal, Romania, Croatia and Montenegro, which would be collaborating in the deployment and transit of military resources
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This shift in the European stance comes after criticism from the Trump administration, which has accused some allies of not contributing enough to the joint military effort. In parallel, the United States announced the withdrawal of 5,000 soldiers deployed in Germany, a decision that has been interpreted as a sign of pressure on Berlin and other European partners to assume greater defense responsibilities
.From Washington's perspective, this strategy fits Trump's line of rebalancing the military burden within NATO and reducing the dependence of the United States on foreign operations. The US administration has insisted that allies must increase their financial and operational participation, especially in high-tension scenarios such as the current conflict with Iran
.Rutte stressed that the European response is already visible, not only in terms of cooperation with the United States, but also in increasing spending on defense and in the preparation of military capabilities. According to the Secretary General of NATO, several countries are moving forward with the positioning of strategic assets, such as minesweepers and naval units, near the Persian Gulf region, in anticipation of possible new phases
