"I see a community that extends across the Atlantic. I am confident that the United States and its allies can strengthen our freedom today and in the future," Rutte said during a speech in Washington, adding later during a question-and-answer session:
NATO is there to protect Europe, but also the United States.
During his speech at the Ronald Reagan Institute, Rutte also said that "some" NATO members were "a little slow" in helping the US during the Iran war.
Didn't get information
Sweden's Minister of Defense Pål Jonson (M) told TV4 that Sweden has not received any request from the US to contribute.
"We have had talks with the American side at a military level. The message a few weeks ago was that Sweden's most important role is to keep the northern flank secure, and our support for Ukraine," he said.
He said in Washington that member states "to be honest, were also quite surprised" by the US decision to attack Iran and that European NATO countries are today providing "great support."
Almost without exception, allied countries do everything the United States asks.
After Rutte's meeting with Trump on Wednesday, Trump reiterated his dissatisfaction with allies not wanting to help in the US-Israeli war.
"NATO wasn't there when we needed them, and they won't be there when we need them again," the president wrote on Truth Social.
Trying to position himself
But the contributions from NATO countries do not only apply to the war in Iran. According to sources cited by Reuters and Germany's Der Spiegel, Rutte has conveyed demands from Trump to a number of NATO countries that the US expects "concrete commitments" to help keep the Strait of Hormuz open and secure.
The response has not been entirely positive, according to Reuters. Diplomats the news agency spoke to say that "the NATO community is more concerned than confident right now" and that the Trump-Rutte meeting did not dispel those concerns.
"We know the US's urgency, and we know that Rutte is trying to position himself so that he can be helpful in the discussions," said a source, who continued:
"Ultimately, the goal is not to please the US but to ensure that the right conditions are in place (to resolve the problems with the Strait of Hormuz)."
