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Rutte's
'daddy' diplomacy is wearing thin - even after Trump's Iran climb down
Rutte's
mandate 'does not extend to delivering Europeans on any given issue on which
they were not consulted,' said a NATO diplomat
Politics
Magnus
Lund Nielsen
Euractiv
Mark
Rutte heads to Washington as his much-mocked “daddy diplomacy” wears thin with
jittery European allies who have felt the sting of Donald Trump’s criticism and
the impact of the war with Iran.
NATO’s
Secretary General arrives at the White House hours after the US President
agreed to a two week ceasefire with Teheran. Trump has been furious with
European NATO countries for failing to help with his military operations in Iran, who they argue they have had little
to do with.
Rutte – a
former Dutch Prime Minister – is on a mission to better transatlantic
relations. Rutte has cast himself as of the continent’s most ardent defenders
of Trump. He gave the US President his ‘daddy’ nickname at a NATO summit in
Hague last year, repeating it at different occasions since.
While
Trump has recently threatened to pull the US out of the alliance, Trump is
clearly pleased with Rutte. On Monday, Trump referred to Rutte as a “wonderful
guy”.
In
Brussels, diplomats are wary that Rutte is overstepping his mandate when
meeting with Trump today.
“Rutte
has the difficult job to explain that NATO’s mandate and mission,” a NATO
diplomatic source admitted to Euractiv’s defence newsletter, Firepower. “While
providing clear defence and military added-value for the US, [the mandate] does
not extend to delivering Europeans on any given issue on which they were not
consulted.”
The NATO
chief has earlier raised eyebrows in Brussels. When meeting the European
Parliament’s Defence Committee, Rutte warned against the bloc moving away from
the US on the defence cooperation. “Now is not the time to do it alone,” Rutte
said.
Yet, his
approach to has also worked in the bloc’s favour. When Trump vowed to not use
military force to seize Greenland, a semi-autonomous country under Denmark,
Rutte was largely credited with having defused tensions at a bilateral meeting
with Trump on the sidelines of the World Economic Forum in Davos.
Rutte’s
Washington visit has been planned for a long time, a NATO official told
Euractiv.
“The
secretary general will seek to build on the success of the NATO Summit in The
Hague, unlock further cooperation among defence industry on both sides of the
Atlantic, and discuss current security dynamics including in the context of
Iran as well as Russia’s ongoing war against Ukraine,” said the official.
Alice
Tidey contributed to this report.
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