'WEREN'T THERE FOR US': NATO secretary addresses Trump's disappointment after Iran conflict

[0:00] The numbers that we spend are so crazy on NATO, and they weren't there for us. [0:05] We spend all of this money, and then when we want to maybe have help on small stuff, [0:11] this is a small time. This is not the big one. This is small potatoes. [0:16] If they say no, we'd rather not help. Stupid thing to say, [0:20] because we can say that to them if we want, and we might. [0:24] President Trump blasting NATO members this week amid lingering tensions within the alliance. [0:30] And with President Trump, this as negotiators work toward a diplomatic solution to end the conflict with Iran. [0:36] The same conflict that President Trump had called on NATO to assist with, at least parts of it. [0:41] Let's discuss that and more with NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte. [0:45] He will meet with the President tomorrow. Mr. Secretary General, welcome back to Special Report. [0:49] Thank you. Good to be back on the program. [0:51] As you get ready for this meeting, you've heard the President pretty pointed in some of his remarks. [0:56] What's your thoughts, and what are you hoping to accomplish? [0:58] Well, first of all, on Iran as such, let me just say that I think the President is doing exactly what is needed. [1:09] Degrading Iran's nuclear capability. [1:11] Could you imagine if Iran would get its hands on the nuclear weapon? [1:16] This is an exporter of chaos. It is an exporter of terrorism. [1:20] It would be devastating for the region. It would be devastating for the whole world. [1:24] And if that moment would come, where they would get their hands on that nuclear weapon? [1:28] It is too late. We have seen it with North Korea. [1:30] So I think the President is doing exactly what is necessary. [1:33] I completely behind him on this. [1:36] When it comes to NATO, I know there is disappointment. [1:40] But let's also see these are isolated cases, because there is something more to say about this. [1:47] Country after country, ally after ally after ally, have made their bases available for Epic Fury. [1:54] It means thousands, between 4,000 and 5,000 sorties. [1:59] So planes taking off from European bases to support Epic Fury. [2:04] And therefore, Europe being this, let's say, platform of power projection for the United States. [2:10] So there's more to this than the isolated cases. [2:14] And sometimes that gets a bit lost now, I think, in the discussion. [2:18] I guess the President focuses on some of those isolated cases. [2:21] Reuters had not our war. This is back in March. [2:25] The German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius was just as direct as his boss, Chancellor Merz. [2:30] This is not our war. We have not started it. [2:34] Echoing Germany's stance, French President Emmanuel Macron also said, [2:37] we are not party to the conflict. [2:39] In Spain, Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez was quick to denounce the attacks on Iran [2:43] as reckless and illegal and brushed off threats from Trump to cut trade with Spain [2:47] if it did not allow jointly operated bases to be used for the war. [2:51] This is a Reuters write-up, but you add to that, [2:53] the Italian Prime Minister has now had a back and forth about the use of bases in Italy. [2:59] So the President, I think, is pointing to that, right? [3:02] I think so, yes, you're right. [3:04] And I totally understand the disappointment. [3:06] But when you take, for example, Italy, [3:08] 500 U.S. planes took off from U.S. bases in Italy to support Epic Fury. [3:16] So this is massive. [3:18] When you look at all of Europe again, it's between 4,000 and 5,000. [3:21] A country like Romania, its capital, Bucharest, [3:25] they had to cut down on commercial air flights and airplanes [3:29] because they had to use the airport for the tanker facilities. [3:33] So all this is taking place. [3:35] But what I will do tomorrow in my discussion with the President is not only discuss this, [3:39] we will also zoom out from this to this bigger picture of what he is doing for NATO. [3:43] When you look at the numbers of the investments NATO countries are now making in their own defense, [3:49] it is staggering. [3:51] I cannot give you everything tonight because I have to keep something for it till tomorrow [3:55] and for the media tomorrow. [3:57] But it is huge. [3:58] And it is much more even than I thought when I started to prepare for this trip. [4:02] So his success, starting with Trump 45 and now Trump 47, [4:06] making the whole of the alliance stronger, [4:08] making the U.S. safer by investing in defense here, [4:10] but also making his allies in NATO to invest more in their defense. [4:15] It is immense. [4:16] And the jobs coming from this in our defense industries on both sides of the Atlantic, [4:21] both in Europe and in the United States. [4:23] When you look at those numbers, I will reveal them tomorrow. [4:26] These are also massive. [4:28] So there is a big defense dividend in terms of jobs and economy coming from this, [4:33] all thanks to his leadership. [4:36] And feel free to release as much as you want tonight, Mr. Secretary General. [4:39] But the Secretary of State, Marco Rubio, [4:41] talking about keeping the strait-of-or moves open [4:44] and how important that is for countries around the world. [4:46] Take a listen. [4:48] No country is allowed to charge tolls or fees [4:50] on an international waterway. [4:52] That's existing international law. [4:54] That's the way it is in international waterways all over the world. [4:57] And that's the way we expect it will be here. [4:59] So I don't think we have anybody to convince around here in that regard. [5:02] I think all the countries in this region would agree with us. [5:04] What about that specifically, the strait-of-or moves? [5:09] Obviously, the president talks about Iran not getting a nuclear weapon going forward at all. [5:15] Do you think that this operation and where they are now as far as negotiation has been a success? [5:22] Yes, I think the president, when it comes to Iran, has done exactly what he needed to do. [5:27] And I think also he is right to now move to this deal. [5:33] And in essence, what it means is that Iran will not be able to develop this nuclear capability [5:39] and therefore not be a threat to the region and the wider world. [5:42] And when it comes to the strait and this principle of the freedom of navigation, [5:46] you have seen last week the G7, the president being there in France, in Avignon, [5:52] which was a big success. [5:53] They came to joint conclusions. [5:55] All the leaders supported him when it came to Iran. [5:58] All the leaders there supported him when it came to this principle of the freedom of navigation. [6:03] You see now massively European allies pre-positioning their assets close to the strait. [6:09] So to be able to help, for example, when it comes to demining. [6:13] What you see here, Brett, is really the president of the United States, [6:16] not only being the president of the United States. [6:18] He is more than that. [6:19] He is also the leader of the free world. [6:22] We will have in two weeks a summit in Ankara with the 32 allies plus 10 other nations. [6:27] So in total, 42 nations representing a combined economy of 70 trillion. [6:33] That's two and a half the size of the American economy being led by this president [6:38] as leader of the free world. [6:40] They want to follow him on this. [6:43] And I'm absolutely sure that where the G7 was a big success, [6:46] also in Ankara we will see these 42 countries coming to joint conclusions. [6:50] You've credited President Trump with helping to get funding up across the board. [6:54] Your annual report shows a significant increase in defense investment from countries, [7:00] 20% increase in defense spending compared to 2024. [7:02] This is new data coming forward. [7:05] For the first time, all allies, NATO allies, reported defense expenditure [7:09] that met or exceeded the 2014 target of 2% of GDP. [7:13] And as I said, you credited the president. [7:15] The New York Times writes this about you. [7:18] Mr. Ruta, who has been called the Trump whisperer, walks a delicate line. [7:22] NATO needs him to have a close relationship with Mr. Trump. [7:25] But that coziness has sometimes angered the very European leaders [7:29] who expect him to placate and modulate Mr. Trump to preserve the alliance. [7:35] What do you make of that? [7:36] Well, you know, there will always be differences about style and how you do things. [7:41] For me, it is simple. [7:42] The president and I, we became friends when he was Trump 45 [7:45] and when I was prime minister of the Netherlands. [7:48] And we continued that friendship when he came back into office. [7:50] And it was basically he won the elections a month after I took over from Jens Stoltenberg [7:55] as NATO Secretary General. [7:57] And I visited him in Mar-a-Lago in November 2024. [8:00] And we said, hey, great to work together again. [8:03] And we are doing that. [8:04] And what I'm saying, telling my European colleagues is, and the Canadians, [8:07] is when you look at the facts when it comes to the jobs from the defense industry, [8:12] when it comes to ramping up the defense industrial production, [8:14] when it comes to ramping up defense spending, [8:17] he is really encouraging everyone to do that. [8:20] And the results are there. [8:22] Look what he is doing tomorrow. [8:24] I understand that he will be sitting with the big defense industrial companies [8:28] in the United States. [8:29] He has worked on the Defense Procurement Act to make it easier for companies [8:33] to work together to produce more, [8:35] because we need to refill our stockpiles on both sides of the Atlantic. [8:39] So all of this is leadership necessary to make sure we stay safe as an alliance, [8:45] the United States, the alliance as a whole. [8:47] And again, when we come to Ankara, even 10 more countries visiting. [8:51] And this is the coalition he is leading of 42 nations against four others, [8:56] China, North Korea, Iran, Russia, working together, [9:01] facing this massive counterbalance of these 42 countries led by Donald J. Trump. [9:07] You mentioned Ankara. [9:09] The Turkey is moving to detain extremists, [9:13] just according to the Associated Press today, [9:15] trying to make way for that NATO summit to make sure it's safe. [9:19] Finally, I'd be remiss if I didn't ask you whether you see an end inside to the Russia-Ukraine war. [9:25] And what comes next? [9:27] Well, let's pray for that, obviously. [9:29] And what we are seeing is that Ukraine is doing well on the battlefield. [9:33] They are, as we speak, killing and seriously wounding about between 30,000 and 35,000 Russians a month. [9:43] And these are, of course, incredible numbers. [9:46] And this has a huge impact on Russia. [9:48] We see the Russian economy doing badly at the moment. [9:53] The Ukrainians being effective in hitting their energy infrastructure, [9:56] particularly the oil refineries inside Russia, [10:00] which, of course, support also money-wise the war effort, [10:03] because at this moment, Putin is spending almost 50 percent of his state budget on defense. [10:10] Three-quarters of his tax income is spent on defense. [10:14] And the Ukrainians are really doing well. [10:15] So what we need here is for Putin to play ball, to come to the negotiating table. [10:22] And again, here it is Donald Trump as president in February last year, [10:26] who broke the deadlock with Putin. [10:28] Witkoff, Kushner, Marco Rubio, all working on getting this peace deal done. [10:33] But it can only happen if, indeed, Putin is willing to come along [10:38] and to work with the others to get this done. [10:40] And so far, he has only repeated his maximalist demands. [10:44] Mr. Secretary General, we appreciate your time. [10:47] We'll look for the headlines out of that meeting tomorrow. [10:49] Thank you. [10:51] Be sure to like and subscribe for all the Fox News latest on YouTube [10:55] and catch full shows streaming now on Fox 1.