NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte has defended European allies' contributions to the US war against Iran, following criticism from President Donald Trump. Trump had identified Italy, Germany, and France as unsupportive during a press conference, stating they had turned down US requests for direct involvement. Rutte acknowledged the disappointment but highlighted that up to 5,000 US aircraft sorties have been flown from European bases as part of the military operations, and that allies are implementing all bilateral basing arrangements. Rutte described the latest US strikes on Iran, which hit more than 80 targets, as "absolutely necessary" and emphasized that Europe serves as a major platform for US power projection while matching Washington's defense spending. He expects NATO allies to reaffirm that Iran must never acquire nuclear weapons, a position aligning with the Trump administration. Separately, Rutte identified Russia as the core long-term threat to the alliance during his remarks from Ankara ahead of talks between all 32 NATO member-states.
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