Rutte said on the sidelines of the summit that 5,000 planes had taken off from Europe to support the US offensive against Iran. He was referring to launches by the US Air Force, particularly from US military bases on the continent.
Trump then complained that not all allies had allowed US bases on their territory to be used for attacks against Iran. “5,000 is …,” Trump began, only to be interrupted by Rutte: “tremendous,” said the NATO chief.
Rutte has a good connection with Trump and is actually known for the strategy of defending Trump in public and demonstratively flattering him. He repeatedly points out that the European NATO allies have significantly increased their defense spending because of Trump – as was the case again at the meeting on the sidelines of the Ankara summit.
Trump described Rutte as a “great leader” despite his counter-talk and said of the Dutchman: “He gets it.” Rutte replied: “Your allies get it, thanks to you, and that’s important.” (sda/dpa)