Trump praises Poland's Nawrocki as 'fighter', slams Western allies in Oval Office meeting with NATO chief

Trump's Oval Office critique

Donald Trump opened his meeting with NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte by declaring that had anyone else held Rutte's post, the meeting would not have happened, because he felt let down by the alliance. He then listed the allies that had disappointed him.

“I was disappointed. I was disappointed with Italy. I was disappointed with the United Kingdom... we were disappointed with Germany and France. We are disappointed above all with Spain, it's a horror.”

The US president tied his frustration to what he described as a lack of support from European allies during the conflict with Iran, which began on 28 February. He stressed that the United States had not needed Europe's help but had been testing leaders' reactions.

Poland singled out for praise

Trump made a sharp contrast when he turned to Poland. He recalled endorsing Karol Nawrocki during the presidential campaign, claiming the candidate was polling at tenth place before his backing propelled him to victory.

“He was number 10. I endorsed him. I didn't like the man who was president at all, and I endorsed him. He was a fighter, a great fighter, a good fighter. They say it was the biggest sensation in 50 years in important elections in Europe.”

It remains unclear which former Polish president Trump was referring to when he said he disliked the previous office-holder. Commentators noted he had never spoken negatively about Andrzej Duda, whom he once called a great friend, leading some to speculate he might have meant Warsaw mayor Rafał Trzaskowski.

Trump also repeated his earlier announcement that the US would send an additional 5,000 troops to Poland, a decision he linked to Nawrocki's election win.

Rutte's defense of European allies

Mark Rutte acknowledged that there were reasons for disappointment but pushed back with concrete figures. He argued that European allies had delivered on their commitments, enabling thousands of sorties in support of US operations.

“I agree there are reasons for disappointment. But I argue that if you look at the whole... everyone did what they promised, and thanks to that, four to five thousand aircraft took off from Europe. I would say it would have been very difficult with Iran without Europe serving as a force projection platform for the United States.”

Rutte also brought a chart labelled "Trump's trillion" to the meeting, illustrating the growth in European defence spending and its benefits for American industry and jobs.

Turkey and the F-35 question

Trump named Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan as another exception among NATO allies, calling him a strong partner and saying he would attend the July 7 NATO summit in Ankara out of respect for him.

“He called me and said: 'Please, we have it in Turkey. You have to be there. The United States has to be there.' So I will go out of respect for the president.”

Asked about lifting the ban on F-35 sales to Turkey, imposed after Ankara purchased the Russian S-400 air defence system, Trump replied that he would probably do something that would make them very happy. Vice President J.D. Vance indicated that a review of Turkey's exclusion from the programme was underway.

What comes next

The NATO summit in Ankara on 7 July will be the next major test of the transatlantic relationship. Trump's remarks in the Oval Office suggest he will continue to press allies for what he calls loyalty, while rewarding those he sees as delivering on defence commitments.