Brussels, Mar 26 (EFE).- NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte acknowledged Thursday US President Donald Trump’s frustration over allies’ slow response to his call to protect maritime transit in the Strait of Hormuz, but said more than 30 countries are now willing to discuss possible contributions.
Speaking at a press conference to present NATO’s 2025 annual report, Rutte also justified Washington’s decision not to consult allies before launching the offensive against Iran, citing “good reasons” to avoid potential leaks.
“What I have been seeing (in Trump) is some frustration … about the Europeans needing to take time to react to his requests,” Rutte said, referring to Trump’s call for assistance to ensure maritime routes remained open during operations against Iran.
“… and I said, hey, there is a reason for that. … For good reasons, the US was not able to consult with allies because they wanted to keep the campaign, secret again, for good reasons, to make sure that, nobody knew what happened on that Saturday morning.”
Trump again criticized NATO allies on Thursday, saying he would not forget their failure to intervene in the conflict and issuing a fresh ultimatum to Iran to “get serious” before “it is too late.”
His remarks followed earlier criticism in which he called some NATO countries “cowards,” said they had made “a very foolish mistake,” and insisted he did not need “anyone’s help” after they declined to join the offensive to secure the Strait of Hormuz.
Despite the tensions, Rutte highlighted that, after an initiative led by the United Kingdom, France, Italy, Germany, Japan and the Netherlands, “more than 30 countries” have now agreed to meet to discuss how to ensure maritime routes remain open.
“This responds exactly to President Trump’s request and, more broadly, to the situation in the Middle East,” he added.
Rutte also reiterated NATO’s position that Iran must not acquire nuclear or missile capabilities.
Defense spending
Rutte praised what he described as “significant progress” in defense spending among NATO members, noting that for the first time all allies met the 2014 target of allocating at least 2 percent of GDP to defense, with many exceeding the benchmark.
He also stressed the need to increase defense production and invest in innovation.
According to the annual report, Spain spent 2 percent of its GDP on defense in 2025 and ranked fifth in the proportion of spending dedicated to capabilities, at 44.2 percent, behind Luxembourg, Poland, Hungary and Lithuania.
Rutte praised Spain’s increased defense spending and said “time will tell” whether Madrid’s planned 2.1 percent allocation will be sufficient to meet its NATO obligations.
Ukraine
On Ukraine, Rutte said essential equipment continues to reach the country and reiterated NATO’s strong involvement in supporting Kyiv.
He noted that assistance is being coordinated through a logistics hub in Germany and through the PURL initiative, under which allies finance US-made weapons for Ukraine.
Asked how long shipments could continue at the current pace, Rutte said “the flow continues,” while acknowledging that Middle East operations are drawing on existing stockpiles.
“Even without the current campaign against Iran, there was an absolute need to boost our defense industrial production,” he said. EFE
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