NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte said on April 9 that U.S. allies were slow to assist after they were caught off guard by strikes that the United States and Israel carried out on Iran without first notifying the alliance.

Rutte acknowledged the tension between the United States and NATO allies during an interview at the Ronald Reagan Presidential Foundation and Institute in Washington. He said European allies “were a bit slow” in providing logistical support after the United States and Israel started a war with Iran on Feb. 28.

“In fairness, they were also a bit surprised,” Rutte said. “To maintain the element of surprise for the initial strikes, President [Donald] Trump opted not to inform allies ahead of time, and I understand that.”

However, Rutte emphasized that NATO, as a transatlantic alliance, not only secures European safety but also provides security guarantees to the United States and Canada.

“You need a secure Europe, yes, but you also need a secure Arctic,“ Rutte said. ”You need a secure Atlantic, because otherwise, the Russians and others might pose as a threat.”

The comments came one day after Rutte met with President Donald Trump in the White House to discuss the transatlantic alliance. Although the White House did not offer further details about or a readout of their discussion, Trump took to social media afterward to reiterate his grievances with NATO.

“NATO wasn’t there when we needed them, and they won’t be there if we need them again. Remember Greenland, that big, poorly run, piece of ice!!!” Trump wrote in all caps in a Truth Social post.

Trump has repeatedly expressed frustration that NATO allies did not join the United States and Israel in their coordinated war on Iran.

Some member states have not only been reluctant to send military assets to the Middle East, but have also denied the U.S. military access to their military bases and airspace.

“It’s quite sad that NATO turned their backs on the American people over the course of the last six weeks, when it’s the American people who have been funding their defense,” White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said at a press conference hours before Rutte met with Trump.

Trump has repeatedly floated leaving the alliance altogether, worrying key European allies.

“NATO is a mutually beneficial alliance for both Europeans and Americans,” Spanish Foreign Minister José Manuel Albares said during an interview on Spain’s La Sexta TV channel on April 7.

“But the U.S. administration’s remarks and new positions on Euro-Atlantic security are inviting us Europeans to take a leap in terms of our sovereignty and defense matters.”

Spain denied the United States access to its military bases for U.S. forces in the first days of the Iran war. In response, Trump said he would cut U.S. trade ties with Madrid.

Since Trump began his second term early last year, his administration has often been at odds with long-standing U.S. allies, and the U.S. president has threatened increasingly higher tariffs on nations he accused of having lopsided trade imbalances with Washington.

Although Trump has secured trade deals and cooperative economic agreements with some key U.S. trading partners, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled in February that the tariffs he imposed in 2025 under the International Emergency Economic Powers Act were unlawful.

Trump has since moved to levy new tariffs under other U.S. statutes and recently threatened 50 percent tariffs on any nation that supplies weapons to Iran.

Ryan Morgan and Guy Birchall contributed to this report.