NATO chief Rutte meets Trump to discuss global security

NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte met with U.S. President-elect Donald Trump in Florida on Friday to discuss global security issues facing the alliance, a spokeswoman confirmed on Saturday. Only few details were released.

The meeting at Mar-a-Lago in Palm Beach was the first between the two leaders since Trump’s election victory earlier this month. A photo released by NATO on Saturday showed Rutte and Trump smiling and shaking hands.

“They discussed the range of global security issues facing the Alliance,” NATO spokeswoman Farah Dakhlallah said in a statement. She said Rutte also met with Congressman Mike Waltz and members of Trump’s national security team.

While details of their discussions were not released, Rutte said earlier this month that he would raise the ‘increasing threat’ from Russia, Iran, China and North Korea at his meeting with the president-elect.

In particular, Rutte cited the growing cooperation between Russia and North Korea as a direct risk, not only to Europe but also to North America. “The North Koreans will soon be able to reach the United States with rockets, and this technology is coming from Russia,” Rutte said earlier this month.

Trump was an outspoken critic of NATO during his first term as U.S. president, calling on member states to increase their financial contributions and even threatening a U.S. withdrawal, raising concerns among allies.

Rutte, who served as Prime Minister of the Netherlands during Trump’s first term, has expressed optimism about working with Trump again, highlighting their past collaboration and Trump’s pragmatism.

Asked earlier this month what he would tell Trump at their next meeting, Rutte said: “You are and were right: We have to spend more on defense from our side of the alliance, 2 percent and even more.”

Donald Trump is due to take office on January 20.