Trump Rebukes NATO and Weighs Troop Shifts After Rutte’s Washington Visit

Overview

• Trump, who met NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte at the White House Wednesday, accused the alliance of failing the U.S. during the Iran war and has again threatened to leave.
• Following Wednesday’s meeting, Rutte called the talks very frank and told CNN that a large majority of European members kept the promises they made to the alliance.
• The Wall Street Journal reported the administration is considering pulling U.S. forces from countries seen as unsupportive in the Iran campaign and redeploying them to more cooperative states.
• TF1 said Spain and Germany could face cuts and that Poland, Romania, Lithuania, and Greece could receive more troops, while a base closure in Europe is among options still in early discussion.
• The rift grew out of the Iran conflict and U.S. calls to help secure the Strait of Hormuz, even as a brief cease-fire took hold this week and allies pointed to recent defense-spending pledges pressed at last year’s Hague summit.