European cooperation on Strait of Hormuz reopening operation among key topics

NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte speaks at an event hosted by the Ronald Reagan Foundation in Washington, D.C., in April. [AFP]
NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte speaks at an event hosted by the Ronald Reagan Foundation in Washington, D.C., in April. [AFP]

NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte is visiting the United States ahead of next month's NATO summit, in a move widely seen as an effort to ease mounting tensions between Washington and European allies through advance coordination with President Donald Trump.

According to NATO, Rutte arrived Tuesday for a two-night, three-day visit. He is scheduled to meet Trump at the White House on Wednesday to discuss key security issues, including the situation in the Middle East and transatlantic alliance cooperation.

The visit comes ahead of NATO's annual summit, set to be held next month in Ankara, Turkey. With tensions between the United States and European allies deepening over defense burden-sharing and the response to the Middle East conflict, Rutte's direct meeting with Trump before the summit is seen as an attempt to bridge those differences.

The restoration of freedom of navigation through the Strait of Hormuz is expected to be a central agenda item. With the United States and Iran having signed a cease-fire memorandum of understanding, discussions are anticipated to cover the reshaping of the post-war Middle East order and measures to stabilize maritime shipping lanes.

Rutte is expected to brief Trump on the fact that a significant number of European allies have agreed to join the France- and UK-led operation to reopen the Strait of Hormuz — an effort to underscore that Europe is cooperating with Washington's vision for Middle East stabilization.

At a press conference ahead of the NATO defense ministers' meeting in Brussels last week, Rutte said restoring free passage through the Strait of Hormuz "would be an enormous step forward," adding that "many allies are ready to support the plan led by France and the United Kingdom."

Trump has long pressed European allies to increase defense spending, accusing them of over-relying on the United States for their security. His frustration with Europe deepened further in the wake of the Iran war.

After some European countries refused to allow US military assets used in the Iran operation to be based on their soil and showed reluctance to deploy forces to the Strait of Hormuz, Trump pushed back, saying allies had turned their backs on the United States when it needed help. He also raised the possibility of withdrawing from NATO as part of his pressure campaign.

German Chancellor Friedrich Merz's public criticism of the US approach to the Iran war also inflamed tensions. Trump responded by announcing plans to reduce the US military presence in Germany, further straining transatlantic relations.

With the United States and Iran having reached a cease-fire agreement, analysts say the risk of a direct confrontation between Trump and European leaders at next month's Ankara summit has diminished somewhat. However, given accumulated disputes over defense spending, the Middle East response and European security gaps, Rutte is seen as needing to align with Washington before the summit.

During his US visit, Rutte is also scheduled to meet senior administration officials and members of Congress, and will participate in a forum hosted by the Atlantic Council think tank.

He is also set to join by video link a summit of Europe's five major powers — Germany, France, the United Kingdom, Italy and Poland, known as the E5 — taking place in Germany on Wednesday, in what is seen as a preliminary consultation ahead of next month's NATO summit.

Meanwhile, according to Euronews and other outlets, European allies and Canada are expected to pledge increased defense spending and enhanced weapons production capacity at next month's NATO summit. With the United States having recently notified Europe of plans to scale back the provision of some military capabilities in contingency scenarios, how Europe will fill the resulting security gaps is also expected to be a major topic on the agenda.


quq@heraldcorp.com