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NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte will head to Washington next week as allies seek to smooth over transatlantic tensions ahead of NATO’s annual summit in July, Euronews has learned.
European-led efforts to restore freedom of navigation through the Strait of Hormuz following the US-Iran agreement to end hostilities are expected to feature prominently in the discussions.
“The restoration of free passage through the Strait of Hormuz would be a massive step forward,” Rutte told reporters at NATO headquarters in Brussels on Wednesday.
“I know that many Allies, through the initiative led by France and the United Kingdom, are ready to support this effort,” he added.
Rutte’s 23-25 June visit comes as allies prepare for what NATO officials hope will be a more unified summit after months of transatlantic friction.
He was speaking ahead of Thursday’s NATO defence ministers’ meeting in Brussels, another key staging post before the summit. US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth is due to attend.
According to alliance sources, Rutte hopes to repair relations between Washington and its NATO allies after months of tension over European opposition to the US-Israeli military campaign against Iran.
Officials say the US agreement with Tehran has reduced the risk of the July summit turning into a showdown between President Donald Trump and European leaders.
“Now there’s a deal, it places us in a better position,” one NATO official told Euronews, adding that Trump “will be in a better place” after the peace deal with Iran is confirmed.
“Let’s face it: every time it was going bad in Iran, there was a big backlash for NATO allies,” the source added.
Trump was enraged when some NATO countries initially refused to allow US forces access to bases in Europe for refuelling and other operations linked to the conflict.
Others, including Germany, granted full access to Ramstein Air Base in Rhineland-Palatinate, which was used to coordinate drone and missile strikes against Iran.
Relations deteriorated further after German Chancellor Friedrich Merz criticised Washington’s handling of the conflict. Trump responded by reducing the US military presence in Germany and publicly rebuking allies he felt had failed to support the campaign.
“Whether we get support or not, I can say this, and I said it to them: We will remember,” Trump told reporters on Air Force One in March.
Trump is expected to attend the 7-8 July summit in Ankara, where allies are set to pledge further increases in defence spending and a significant expansion of weapons production.
“We need more forces, more resources and a much stronger industrial base,” Rutte said ahead of the ministerial meeting.
“That means making steady increases in defence investment.”
Most NATO allies have committed to joining a French- and British-led operation aimed at reopening the Strait of Hormuz. Several countries have already deployed assets to the region, including frigates, minesweepers and security personnel.
Another major focus of the summit will be shifting greater responsibility for NATO and transatlantic security to Europe and Canada. The US has informed allies that it intends to scale back its provision of certain military capabilities to the alliance.
These include long-range strike aircraft such as the B-2 and B-52 bombers. The Pentagon is also expected to reduce the number of F-16 and F-35 fighter jets available for NATO missions.
Allies will be expected to demonstrate progress towards the target of spending 5% of GDP on defence, agreed at last year’s NATO summit in The Hague.
Sources told Euronews that Rutte is becoming increasingly frustrated with the lack of progress in some capitals and intends to press the issue forcefully in the coming weeks.
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