NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte travelled to Washington, DC from 7 to 12 April for meetings with senior US officials and events focused on transatlantic security, as he called for fairer burden-sharing in the alliance.
Rutte met US President Donald J Trump, Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Secretary of War Pete Hegseth on 8 April, the pact's press service reported on Friday.
NATO said the talks covered a range of issues linked to transatlantic security, including “in the context of Iran”.
Rutte also told his counterparts that Allies needed to “step up” to deliver what he called “a stronger and fairer NATO.”
Speech at the Reagan Institute
On 9 April, Rutte gave a speech and took part in a discussion hosted by the Ronald Reagan Institute.
In his remarks, he referred to US leadership in NATO “over time” and said the alliance was changing as member countries increased investment in defence.
“Thanks to American leadership, and the collective commitment to ensuring continued freedom and security, NATO is growing stronger,” Rutte declared in the speech.
“Thanks to the mindset shift that is happening, I see a true partnership on the transatlantic horizon," he added.
On 10 April, Rutte attended the Bilderberg Meeting — an annual, invitation-only conference that brings together figures from politics, business and academia.
