Rutte’s praise for Trump sparks discomfort among EU officials

Thursday 26 June 2025 - 13:03

By: Zahouani Ilham

Rutte’s praise for Trump sparks discomfort among EU officials

Several European Union officials have expressed unease over what they perceive as excessive flattery by NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte toward U.S. President Donald Trump during a recent summit in The Hague. Rutte’s comments, made both privately and publicly, aimed to support Trump’s diplomatic efforts in securing a ceasefire between Israel and Iran, but have drawn criticism from within EU ranks.

During the summit, Trump responded to questions about his harsh language towards Israel and Iran by likening their conflict to “kids fighting in a schoolyard.” Seated beside him, Rutte added, “And then daddy has to, sometimes, use strong language,” aligning himself with Trump’s rhetoric. Prior to the event, Trump shared private messages from Rutte in which the NATO chief praised him for his diplomatic accomplishments and predicted another “big success” in The Hague.

These gestures were reportedly met with disapproval from several Western European officials, who viewed Rutte’s conduct as overly deferential. One unnamed source commented that while the summit was broadly successful, Rutte’s sycophantic tone was excessive and embarrassing.

When asked by reporters whether he had gone too far in flattering Trump, Rutte denied any overreach, suggesting that such expressions are a matter of personal style. He further praised Trump for his leadership on Iran and for securing NATO’s agreement to raise defense spending to 5% of GDP by 2035.