‘Dear Donald’: Trump posts Nato chief’s praise amid Hague summit journey; calls action against Iran ‘extraordinary’ and bold

Nato chief Mark Rutte (left) and US President Donald Trump (AP)

US President Donald Trump has launched a collection of messages from Nato secretary-general Mark Rutte, commending his strikes on Iran and his efforts to push allies to spice up protection spending.He posted a screenshot of Rutte’s messages on his social media platform, Truth Social, on Tuesday whereas en path to the NATO summit within the Netherlands.Before his arrival for the summit, Rutte despatched a pre-summit message to President Trump, praising his management of the western alliance and his position within the Iran battle.“Mr President, dear Donald, 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,” the message reads.“You are flying into another big success in The Hague this evening. It was not easy but we’ve got them all signed on to five percent,” Rutte added in textual content.When requested later whether or not it was embarrassing that his personal message had been made public, Rutte instructed the BBC there was “absolutely no problem, there was nothing in it that had to stay secret.”Western leaders have needed to handle their ties with Trump, whose strategy to diplomacy is commonly seen as unpredictable. The two-day Nato summit has reportedly been shortened to suit his schedule.Nato leaders have gathered in The Hague for a summit described by German Chancellor Friedrich Merz as historic, with the objective of guaranteeing lasting peace in Europe for generations to come back.This marks US President Donald Trump’s first Nato summit since 2019, with all 32 member leaders anticipated to pledge 5% of their nationwide GDP towards protection and associated infrastructure.He emphasised that the US president and prime management confirmed a “total commitment” to Nato, together with an expectation that allies would match American protection spending.