US President Donald Trump drew attention during a meeting with NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte after saying he wanted America’s allies to “give us a little kiss” while discussing their support for the United States amid tensions involving Iran.
The unusual remark came during an Oval Office meeting on Wednesday, where Trump expressed frustration over what he described as Europe’s lack of support for the US during its military campaign involving Iran.
What did Trump mean by ‘give us a little kiss’?
According to The Mirror US, Trump said he was not seeking financial contributions from NATO allies but wanted them to demonstrate loyalty to the United States.
“I just want their loyalty. We don’t need their money. We don’t need anything. We have the most powerful military in the world by far,” Trump told reporters.
He then added: “Give us a little nudge, give us a little kiss, we don’t want much.”
The comment was made as Trump criticized European allies for what he sees as insufficient backing for the US during the Iran conflict.
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Trump praises Rutte but voices frustration with NATO
Although Trump praised Rutte during the meeting, calling him a “great guy, great leader, great secretary-general,” he also suggested the NATO alliance had fallen short in supporting the United States.
“If anybody else were in that position, we wouldn’t even be meeting today, to be honest with you, because we were let down,” Trump said.
Rutte’s visit comes ahead of NATO’s annual summit, scheduled to take place in Ankara, Turkey, on July 7, where security issues and the alliance’s response to global conflicts are expected to be high on the agenda.
According to The Mirror US, some observers have viewed the meeting as an effort to maintain close ties between NATO leadership and the Trump administration amid disagreements over recent US foreign policy decisions.
Rutte backs Trump’s position on Iran
During the Oval Office meeting, Rutte praised Trump’s handling of the Iran situation and described him as the “leader of the free world.”
“I really want to make clear how important it is what you are doing on Iran,” Rutte said.
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He added that Iran’s nuclear ambitions posed a broader international threat. “This is, first of all, about the nuclear capability Iran was basically getting its hands on, and it would have been a threat to the region. It would’ve been a threat to the whole world. This is a country that is exporting chaos, is exporting terrorism.”
Context behind the remarks
Trump’s comments come after weeks of heightened tensions involving the United States, Israel and Iran, which have also exposed differences between Washington and several European allies over the handling of the conflict.
According to The Mirror US, representatives from the US and Iran met in Switzerland earlier this week to discuss a preliminary ceasefire agreement.
The publication also noted that while Rutte argued Iran was close to obtaining nuclear weapons, several analysts have disputed that assessment, saying there is no publicly available evidence that Tehran was on the verge of acquiring a nuclear weapon when the US and Israeli strikes began.
