NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte said Wednesday that the world is "safer" under President Donald Trump, pointing to recent U.S. military actions targeting Iran's capabilities.
"Absolutely, because this is thanks to President Trump's leadership," Rutte said during an interview on "The Lead with Jake Tapper" when Tapper asked if the world was safer. "Degrading these capabilities is really, really very important for your and my safety here in the U.S., in Europe, in the Middle East," he added.
Rutte described a recent meeting with Trump as candid but cooperative despite the president's disagreements with NATO allies.
"There is a disappointment, clearly, but at the same time he was also listening carefully to my arguments of what is happening," he said. "This was a very frank, very open discussion, but also a discussion between two good friends."
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Rutte acknowledged that some European nations declined to fully support U.S. operations in Iran, while emphasizing that most allies followed through on prior commitments.
"Some specifically said, 'You can't use our bases, you can't even fly over our airspace,'" he said. "But the large majority - including France - of European nations has been doing what they committed before they would do in a case like this."
Rutte added that European cooperation enabled the United States to project military power during the operation.
"Europe as a platform of power projection for the United States was in full play over the last six weeks," he continued. "Not all European nations lived up to those commitments, and I totally understand that he is disappointed."
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Rutte also pointed to Trump's influence with NATO, particularly on defense spending among member nations.
"It was his leadership which brought about the Hague spending commitment, the 5%, which is a transformational change in NATO," he said. "Without him, we would never have gotten there."
The NATO chief argued that military action was necessary to prevent Iran from developing nuclear weapons, warning that prolonged diplomacy could have allowed the situation to escalate beyond control.
Rutte said there is widespread agreement among NATO allies that preventing Iran from obtaining nuclear and ballistic missile capabilities remains a priority.
"NATO has always taken the position that degrading these capabilities is crucial, and that Iran can never get its hands on those two capabilities," he said.
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Rutte also expressed support for Trump's broader approach to countering Iran's role in global conflicts.
"I support the president and I know large parts of Europe do when it comes to taking out the capacity of Iran to create chaos to the region, to Europe, to the whole world," he said.
"Let's not be naive," he added. "There is Russia, North Korea, Belarus, China, Iran working together. These theaters are getting more and more interconnected."
