BRUSSELS – NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte met with U.S. President-elect Donald Trump in Palm Beach, Florida, on Friday to discuss global security challenges facing the alliance, a NATO spokesperson confirmed on Saturday. The meeting comes as NATO navigates shifting geopolitical dynamics and prepares for a new U.S. administration under Trump, who previously criticized the alliance during his first term as president.
“They discussed the range of global security issues facing the Alliance,” said NATO spokesperson Farah Dakhlallah in a brief statement, without providing further details. Reports of Rutte’s visit first emerged in Dutch media, which claimed he flew to Florida on a Dutch government plane. NATO initially declined to comment on the reports but later confirmed the meeting.
Rutte, who previously served as the prime minister of the Netherlands, is known for his adept diplomacy and was seen as one of the European leaders who established a functional relationship with Trump during his first presidency from 2017 to 2021.
The meeting underscores the importance of maintaining strong transatlantic ties as NATO confronts challenges ranging from Russia’s aggression in Ukraine to evolving threats from China and beyond.