{"id":103989,"date":"2026-04-10T04:32:51","date_gmt":"2026-04-10T04:32:51","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sochtimes.com\/2026\/04\/10\/venting-session-what-happened-at-donald-trumps-closed-door-meeting-with-nato-chief-mark-rutte\/"},"modified":"2026-04-10T04:32:51","modified_gmt":"2026-04-10T04:32:51","slug":"venting-session-what-happened-at-donald-trumps-closed-door-meeting-with-nato-chief-mark-rutte","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sochtimes.com\/hi\/2026\/04\/10\/venting-session-what-happened-at-donald-trumps-closed-door-meeting-with-nato-chief-mark-rutte\/","title":{"rendered":"‘Venting session’: What happened at Donald Trump\u2019s closed-door meeting with Nato chief Mark Rutte"},"content":{"rendered":"


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\"'Venting<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
FILE – President Donald Trump meets with NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte in the Oval Office of the White House, Oct. 22, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo\/Alex Brandon, File)<\/span><\/div>\n<\/section>\n<\/div><\/div>\n<\/div>\n

US President Donald Trump<\/a>, who has repeatedly criticised America\u2019s Nato allies over their lack of support in the Iran war, \u201cvented his frustration\u201d at Nato secretary-general Mark Rutte during the former Dutch prime minister\u2019s visit to the White House, Politico reported, citing officials.Rutte met Trump behind closed doors as part of a long-scheduled visit that quickly morphed into what officials described as a \u201clife-support mission” after the US president repeatedly threatened to pull out of the intergovernmental military alliance over member states such as Spain and France refusing to back the US-Israeli conflict with Tehran, now under a fragile 14-day ceasefire.According to two European officials and a person familiar with the matter, Trump used the meeting as a \u201cventing session\u201d to air his frustration at Europe\u2019s reluctance to join Washington\u2019s Operation Epic Fury, which began with strikes on the Islamic Republic on February 28 and triggered the current Middle East conflict. <\/p>\n

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Watch<\/span><\/p>\n

Trump Stuck In NATO Forever? This Rubio-Backed Law ‘Kills Exit Plan’ In Dramatic Twist | Watch<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

\u201cIt went s**t. The conversation was nothing but a tirade of insults. Trump apparently threatened to do just about anything,\u201d one of the people told Politico.All three sources added that the US president gave those present the impression he wanted \u201cconcrete actions\u201d from allies to help reopen the Strait of Hormuz as soon as possible.Iran has effectively blockaded the Strait of Hormuz in retaliation, a move with major global implications as roughly 20% of the world\u2019s crude oil supply passes through the vital shipping lane.Trump has repeatedly warned Tehran to lift the blockade, threatening that failure to do so would see Iran bombed \u201cback to the Stone Age\u201d \u2014 remarks that drew widespread international condemnation.<\/p>\n

‘No demands made’: White House
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However, according to a White House spokesperson, the president made \u201cno demands\u201d of the alliance during his conversation with the secretary-general.\u201cHe has zero expectations of Nato at this point and did not ask anything of them, even though it\u2019s a fact they benefit from the Strait of Hormuz far more than the United States,\u201d the spokesperson told the website.Nato spokesperson Allison Hart described the meeting as \u201ca very frank conversation” but pushed back on suggestions it went poorly, calling it \u201cconstructive.\u201dFor his part, Rutte said he could sense Trump\u2019s \u201cdisappointment.\u201d \u201cI sensed his disappointment at what he felt was a lack of support from too many allies,\u201d he said at an event on Thursday.<\/p>\n

A ‘silver lining’
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Pointing to a silver lining, a second European official described Rutte\u2019s visit as \u201cwell-timed,\u201d saying it gave Trump an opportunity to \u201cblow off steam.\u201d The Republican\u2019s subsequent posts on Truth Social were broad and stopped short of issuing specific threats against NATO as a whole or individual member states, the officials noted.\u201cThat\u2019s a climbdown compared to some of his earlier comments. It\u2019s still a volatile moment, but it\u2019s fortunate for the alliance that he was there at this particular time,\u201d the source added.Last week, a UK-led coalition of 41 countries backed fresh sanctions and increased diplomatic pressure on Tehran over its closure of the Strait of Hormuz, while making clear they would not provide military support as long as the conflict continues.Countries such as Spain and Italy have denied US warplanes access to their airspace, while Britain initially refused permission to use a UK airbase before later reversing its decision.<\/div>\n


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