Trump publicizes fawning private letter from NATO chief
US President Donald Trump has posted screenshots of a private text message from NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte, in which he showered the American leader with praise for 'decisive action in Iran.'
The message, which Trump shared on his Truth Social platform, appears to have been sent ahead of the two-day NATO summit in The Hague, which opened on Tuesday.
'Congratulations and thank you for your decisive action in Iran, that was truly extraordinary, and something no one else dared to do. It makes us all safer,' Rutte wrote, seemingly referring to US strikes on Iranian nuclear sites on June 22.
In his message, Rutte also promised 'another big success' for Trump in The Hague, saying that all NATO members had agreed to spend 5% of their GDP on defense. 'You will achieve something NO American president in decades could get done,' he wrote.
Trump has long insisted that NATO members in Europe should significantly increase their military budgets, which many pledged to do in recent years, citing the Russian-Ukraine conflict.
Spain has reportedly decided to opt out of the 5% spending target, after Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez rejected the idea as 'not only unreasonable but also counterproductive.' Madrid is currently below the existing 2% spending threshold, with only about 1.3% of its GDP allocated for the military.
Rutte, however, told journalists on Monday that NATO rules don't allow such exemptions.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Russia Today
30 minutes ago
- Russia Today
Trump slams CNN and NYT for ‘demeaning' strikes on Iran
US President Donald Trump has lashed out at CNN and The New York Times for reporting that Washington's recent airstrikes on Iran caused only limited damage. On Tuesday, the two news outlets cited a preliminary Defense Intelligence Agency (DIA) assessment casting into doubt Trump's claims of having dealt a critical blow to Iran's nuclear program. 'FAKE NEWS CNN, TOGETHER WITH THE FAILING NEW YORK TIMES, HAVE TEAMED UP IN AN ATTEMPT TO DEMEAN ONE OF THE MOST SUCCESSFUL MILITARY STRIKES IN HISTORY,' Trump wrote on Truth Social. 'THE NUCLEAR SITES IN IRAN ARE COMPLETELY DESTROYED!' According to CNN, the US strikes on Iran's Fordow, Natanz, and Isfahan nuclear facilities did not destroy the core components of Tehran's nuclear program and 'likely only set it back by months.' Two sources told the network that Iran's stockpile of enriched uranium was not destroyed, and one noted that the centrifuges – which are essential for enriching uranium – were largely 'intact.' The damage at the key nuclear sites was largely restricted to aboveground structures, despite B-2 heavy bombers dropping over a dozen 'bunker-buster' bombs during the raid, the report said. The New York Times reported similar conclusions, claiming that the strikes had sealed off entrances to two of the sites but did not collapse the underground structures. Officials cited in the NYT report said the program had been delayed by less than six months. Unnamed Israeli officials also told the NYT that they believed Iran maintains small covert enrichment facilities, which could allow it to continue the nuclear program even if its larger sites are hit again. The recent escalation kicked off on June 13, when Israel launched a series of strikes it said were aimed at preventing Iran from developing nuclear weapons. Tehran, which retaliated with strikes of its own, has denied the accusations, insisting its nuclear program is for peaceful purposes only. The US later joined the attack, unleashing heavy bombers and Tomahawk missiles on Iran's most fortified facilities, claiming that its sole goal is to prevent Iran from developing a nuclear weapon. Both Israel and Iran subsequently proclaimed victory in the conflict. A ceasefire was later announced, with Iranian officials signaling that Tehran was open to resuming talks with the US.
Russia Today
3 hours ago
- Russia Today
Western states lied about Iran's nuclear program – Russia's UN envoy
The US and Israel have spread disinformation about Iran's nuclear program as a pretext for attack, Russian Ambassador to the UN Vassily Nebenzia has said. Speaking at the UN Security Council on Tuesday, the diplomat condemned the strikes on Iranian nuclear sites as illegal under international law and said they had 'created a real threat' of radioactive contamination. Nebenzia noted that the reports of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), which carries out inspections in Iran, serve as proof of 'the absence of proliferation risks.' 'We want to emphasize that nowhere in the IAEA reports is there any mention of Iran converting its nuclear stockpiles for undeclared or military purposes,' Nebenzia said. The IAEA has found no evidence indicating the development of nuclear weapons by Iran. Therefore, all claims by Western delegations to the contrary are falsehoods aimed at audiences either unfamiliar with the reports or lacking competence on the matter. Nebenzia described the attack on Iran as 'yet another attempt to legitimize the use of force outside the framework of the UN Charter.'IAEA Director General Rafael Mariano Grossi told Sky News last week that there was no evidence of 'any systematic effort' by Iran to manufacture nuclear weapons. He added, however, that the agency had 'elements of concern' about Iran's enrichment of uranium to 60%. During a press conference in New York on Tuesday, Israeli envoy Danny Danon reiterated his government's position that Israeli strikes, which began on June 13, were aimed at preventing Iran from acquiring nuclear weapons. Iran, which denies having a military nuclear program, has condemned the attack as an act of aggression and announced plans to restrict its cooperation with the IAEA. The US-brokered ceasefire between Iran and Israel took effect on Tuesday and has so far been upheld.
Russia Today
4 hours ago
- Russia Today
Europe bears ‘share of the blame' for Israel's attack on Iran
European leaders pressured the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) to issue a negative assessment of Iran and 'bear a share of the blame' for Israel's attack on the Islamic Republic, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov has said. Israel attacked Iran shortly after the UN nuclear watchdog declared Tehran to be in breach of the Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT), despite Iran's claims its uranium enrichment program is peaceful. The US joined the Jewish state's air campaign to strike Tehran's nuclear sites shortly before Washington announced a ceasefire had been reached between Israel and Iran. Speaking at the Primakov Forums meeting in Moscow on Tuesday, Lavrov accused European leaders of pressuring the IAEA's director, General Rafael Grossi, into publishing an accusatory report on Iran. 'The Europeans have taken a purely neocolonial position... They were actively preparing Grossi so that he would put the most ambiguously negative formulations into his report,' the top diplomat said. The UK, France, Germany, and later, the US ran with the IAEA assessment and pushed a resolution through the IAEA Board of Governors that condemned Iran for allegedly violating the NPT, he added. 'A few days later, Israel launched its attacks,' Lavrov said. The Europeans bear a share of the blame for this happening and for the fact that such attacks were carried out. This highlights that the West 'exerts very serious influence on international organizations, and has even privatized them to an extent,' Lavrov said, adding that most such bodies are no longer 'guided by the requirement of impartiality.' Weeks before the escalation, Reuters cited anonymous diplomats as saying that Western powers were pressuring the IAEA to declare Tehran in breach of its NPT obligations, at the height of US-Iran nuclear talks. Tehran has since accused Grossi of taking sides and turning a blind eye to Israel's attacks on Iran's nuclear energy facilities. Multiple IAEA resolutions state that any use of force against peaceful nuclear facilities is illegal under international law. Moscow has condemned Israeli and US attacks against Iran as 'illegitimate.' The recent ceasefire, announced by US President Donald Trump on Tuesday, 'can and should be welcomed,' Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov has said. Moscow hopes that it 'proves to be sustainable,' he added.
