BRUSSELS (AP) — U.S President-elect Donald Trump and the NATO chief met for talks on global security, the military alliance said on Saturday.
In a temporary statement, NATO said Trump and its Secretary General Mark Rutte met in Palm Beach, Florida, on Friday.
“They discussed the range of global security challenges facing the alliance,” the statement said, without giving details.
It seemed to be Rutte's first meeting with Trump since his election on November fifth. Rutte had previously congratulated Trump, saying “his leadership will once again be key to keeping our alliance strong” and that he looked forward to working with him.
Trump has expressed skepticism for years the western alliance and complained in regards to the defense spending of lots of its member states, which he considered to be too low. He portrayed the NATO allies as bloodsuckers of the US military openly questioned the worth the alliance that has determined American foreign policy for a long time. He threatened to not defend himself NATO members failing to fulfill their defense spending targets.
Rutte and his team also met Trump's alternative as national security adviserUS Representative Michael Waltz and other members of the president-elect's national security team, the NATO statement said.
Rutte took the helm of NATO in October.
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