US President Donald Trump praised NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte on Wednesday as a "great leader" but renewed criticism of several European allies, saying the United States had been "let down" by their support during the war with Iran.
Speaking alongside Rutte in the Oval Office, Trump said the NATO chief was widely respected and had done an excellent job leading the alliance.
"He's been a friend of mine, he's great guy, great leader, great secretary general, everybody respects him," Trump said. "I think if anybody else were in that position, we wouldn't even be meeting today, to be honest with you, because we were let down."
Rutte, who is known for maintaining a strong relationship with Trump, travelled to Washington ahead of a NATO summit in Ankara on July 7-8, which will bring together the leaders of the alliance's 32 member states.
The visit came amid tensions between Washington and some NATO allies after Trump and members of his administration repeatedly criticized what they described as insufficient support from partners during the US-led war against Iran.
Asked whether he still believed European allies had treated him unfairly, Trump reiterated his frustration.
"I was disappointed with Italy. I was disappointed with the UK ... we were disappointed with Germany and France," he said, adding that Washington had been disappointed with most allies.
Trump singled out Spain for particular criticism, describing the country's conduct as "a horror show".
Despite the complaints, Trump stressed that he had great respect for Rutte and said the two would discuss recent developments and future cooperation.
Senior US officials, including Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and Secretary of State Marco Rubio, have recently described allies' positions as "shameful" and signalled a possible reassessment of Washington's relationship with NATO.
