NATO chief Mark Rutte praises Trump as US President slams Italy

NATO Secretary‑General Mark Rutte publicly praised U.S. President Donald Trump, calling him “the leader of the free world” and crediting him with strengthening the Alliance and prompting European allies to increase defence spending. Rutte said the new arms‑building programmes are generating billions of dollars of investment and creating jobs for the defence sector, and he urged the development of more missiles, interceptors, tanks and artificial‑intelligence systems.

Trump responded by thanking Rutte, but also criticised several European partners – notably Italy, the United Kingdom, Germany, France and Spain – for what he described as insufficient support. He singled out Italy for “disappointment” and urged greater contributions to NATO’s defence burden. Earlier, Italian officials had denied any U.S. use of Italian bases for operations against Iran and highlighted the reopening of Italy’s embassy in Tehran as a diplomatic gesture.

The exchange underscored tension within the alliance over burden‑sharing and highlighted the political friction between Washington and Rome.