Published by Global Banking & Finance Review®
Posted on April 1, 2026
2 min readLast updated: April 2, 2026
Add as preferred source on GoogleNATO Secretary‑General Mark Rutte will travel to Washington, D.C., next week for a “long‑planned” visit, confirmed by NATO spokesperson Allison Hart. The trip, first reported by The Wall Street Journal, suggests high‑level U.S.–NATO discussions may be expected.
By Andrew Gray and Trevor Hunnicutt
BRUSSELS/WASHINGTON, April 1 (Reuters) - NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte will visit Washington next week for what a spokesperson for the military alliance called a "long-planned visit" that comes after President Donald Trump blasted European allies over differences on the Iran war.
"I can confirm that the Secretary General will be in DC next week for a long-planned visit," NATO spokesperson Allison Hart said. A White House official also confirmed the visit.
No further details of the trip were immediately available.
Trump said he was considering pulling the U.S. out of the Western military alliance due to the refusal of European members to send ships to unblock the Strait of Hormuz.
In remarks on Wednesday to allies gathered for an Easter lunch at the White House, Trump criticized France and the United Kingdom, among other U.S. allies, as a “paper tiger."
NATO, which includes European countries, the U.S. and Canada, was formed in 1949 with the aim of countering the risk of Soviet attack and has been the cornerstone of the West's security ever since.
“We've had some very bad allies in NATO,” Trump said. "Hopefully, we're never going to need them. I don't think we will need them."
(Reporting by Andrew Gray and Trevor Hunnicutt; Editing by David Gregorio)
NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte is visiting Washington next week.
The visit is described as a 'long-planned' trip by the NATO Secretary-General.
NATO spokesperson Allison Hart confirmed the Secretary-General's visit.
No further details about the trip were immediately available.
The Wall Street Journal first reported the visit.
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