NATO chief Mark Rutte heads to White House ahead of sensitive summit
The secretary-general's visit centres on managing relations with President Trump, defence-spending expectations and keeping allied unity visible.
Marcus Reeve
Writer ·

NATO secretary-general Mark Rutte headed to the White House as the alliance prepared for another politically sensitive summit, AP reported.
The visit centred on managing relations with President Donald Trump, defence-spending expectations and the effort to keep allied unity visibly intact.
Diplomacy of reassurance
NATO diplomacy often depends as much on personal reassurance and public messaging as on formal communiqués, making such meetings significant well beyond their official agenda.
What happens next
Attention now turns to the summit itself, where questions over burden-sharing and the alliance's direction are set to dominate.
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