Mark Rutte is giving President Donald Trump a full-throated endorsement on global security, saying the world is “absolutely” safer under his leadership following U.S. military action targeting Iran.
“Absolutely, because this is thanks to President Trump’s leadership,” Rutte said during an interview on CNN, pointing to efforts to degrade Iran’s military capabilities.
“Degrading these capabilities is really, really very important for your and my safety here in the U.S., in Europe, in the Middle East,” he added.
The remarks come as tensions with Iran remain high and NATO allies navigate how closely to align with Washington’s aggressive posture.
Rutte described his recent meeting with Trump as candid but constructive, even amid disagreements between the U.S. and some European partners.
“There is a disappointment, clearly,” Rutte said, referring to allies who declined full support. “But at the same time he was also listening carefully.”
“This was a very frank, very open discussion — but also a discussion between two good friends.”
The NATO chief acknowledged that not all European nations backed the U.S. operation.
“Some specifically said, ‘You can’t use our bases, you can’t even fly over our airspace,’” he noted.
Still, Rutte emphasized that the “large majority” of allies — including France — upheld prior commitments and enabled the mission.
“Europe as a platform of power projection for the United States was in full play over the last six weeks,” he said.
That cooperation proved critical in allowing the U.S. to carry out operations across the region.
Rutte also credited Trump with reshaping NATO’s defense posture, particularly on spending.
“It was his leadership which brought about the Hague spending commitment — the 5% — which is a transformational change in NATO,” he said. “Without him, we would never have gotten there.”
The push has long been a cornerstone of Trump’s approach to the alliance, pressing European nations to shoulder more of the defense burden.
Rutte argued that military action was necessary to prevent Iran from advancing toward nuclear and ballistic missile capabilities.
He warned that prolonged diplomacy risked allowing Tehran to move closer to those goals unchecked.
“NATO has always taken the position that degrading these capabilities is crucial,” he said. “Iran can never get its hands on those two capabilities.”
Watch the clip above. More over at Fox News:
NATO chief says world is ‘absolutely’ safer under Trumphttps://t.co/nL4s3TvfPf
— Karoline Leavitt (@PressSec) April 10, 2026
