Trump summoned after election: "Don't be discouraged" NATO Secretary-General: The United States is still important to European defense

After the U.S. midterm elections, North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) Secretary-General Mark Rutte strongly reiterated that the United States still plays an indispensable role in European defense. He also revealed that after the Republican Party's disastrous defeat in this election, he had sent a message to U.S. President Trump, encouraging him to "don't be discouraged and keep moving forward."

Bloomberg reported on the 5th that Rutte was interviewed by the Dutch talk show Pauw & De Wit on the evening of the 5th, describing NATO as "a platform for Americans to show their strength", which is extremely beneficial to Europe, "because we in Europe can't do it yet."

Since Trump's first term, he has continuously asked allies, especially NATO allies, to increase defense spending. In his second term, he has become more openly dissatisfied with NATO. Rutte has been trying to maintain this transatlantic relationship. However, critics have accused him of being too flattering to Trump, noting that he once called Trump "Daddy." In this regard, Rutte clarified in an interview on the 5th that the "Daddy" statement was a "big mistake."

Shortly before the show began, Trump told reporters that he met at the White House with the visiting Russian presidential envoy Kirill Dmitriev, but did not meet with the Ukrainian delegation who was also visiting.

During the interview, Trump’s policy towards Russian President Vladimir Putin was discussed. Rutte said he "extremely admires" Ukrainian President Zelensky and the two are in weekly contact, but it is also important for Trump and Putin to maintain a "good relationship." Regarding the recently reached diesel agreement between the United States and Russia, Rutte admitted that Europe was "panicked" and "I raised my eyebrows." However, he said that Europe also purchased a large amount of liquefied natural gas from Russia this year, "far more than the diesel agreement will bring." He also bluntly said that "Europe is not a saint."

Regarding the conflict between the United States and Iran, Rutte praised Trump's determination to prevent Iran from acquiring nuclear weapons and emphasized that for Europe, what is important is that Iran's original nuclear threat and the threat of missiles that can reach Copenhagen or London can be eliminated. "Europe cannot do this on its own." He said that Iran's nuclear capabilities have been significantly weakened, but "not all risks have disappeared."

U.S. voters' dissatisfaction with the Iran war and the resulting rise in fuel prices was cited by Bloomberg as one of the important factors in the Republican Party's loss of both houses of Congress in the midterm elections. Rutte said he sent a text message to Trump after the election: "Don't be discouraged, let's keep moving forward."

As for whether either side will win in the Ukraine-Russia war, Rutte said, "I think it's unlikely," adding that such wars usually end in a peace agreement, "and the agreement is often some kind of compromise." But he stressed that even after the war ended, Europe must still remain alert to possible Russian aggression.