Secretary General of NATO, NATO
FULL MEETING President Trump Meets NATO Chief Mark Rutte Discuss Global Security at Davos 2026 |AC1E
Watch as U.S. President Donald Trump meets NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte at the World Economic Forum 2026 in Davos, discussing critical global security, defense, and strategic partnerships. This exclusive meeting highlights the ongoing efforts of the U.S. and NATO to strengthen alliances, protect international stability, and address emerging threats worldwide.
In this video:
High-level security discussions between Trump and NATO leadership
Insights into global defense strategy and U.S.-NATO cooperation
Davos 2026 behind-the-scenes highlights
Implications for world security and interna...
About Mark Rutte
NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte has been focused on preparations for the alliance's upcoming summit in Ankara, with a particular emphasis on defense spending and industrial production. In remarks ahead of a NATO foreign ministers meeting in Helsingborg, Sweden, in May 2026, Rutte stated that defense spending is "rapidly ramping up" following the Hague summit, with "tens of billions and over the years there's hundreds of billions coming in." He said the question is "no longer whether we need to do more" but "how quickly allies can turn commitment into capability." Rutte described the defense industrial base as "not producing enough," calling it "a problem in Europe" and "a problem in the US," and said the Ankara summit must focus on "moving the needle substantially" on defense industrial output. Rutte also addressed the alliance's strategic direction, arguing that Europe and Canada must take greater responsibility for conventional defense. He said NATO has been "overly dependent on one ally" and that this is "not sustainable long term." He praised President Trump's role in securing a 5% defense spending commitment, calling it "his biggest foreign policy success of 2025." On Ukraine, Rutte said the alliance must "do everything to keep Ukraine as strong as possible in the fight" and thanked the US for continued military support. He also discussed the situation in the Strait of Hormuz, stating that Iran's efforts to impose a tolling system on an international waterway are "not acceptable" and that many countries are working together to ensure freedom of navigation.
Transcript (32 segments)
✨ AI-enhanced transcript with speaker attribution
D
Donald Trump0:00
It was great.
M
Mark Rutte0:15
Exactly.
D
Donald Trump0:19
They all flew with you.
M
Mark Rutte0:22
Many of them flew with me.
D
Donald Trump0:26
They won't fly back. They're very...
Well, thank you very much. It's an honor to be with you and I thank the media for being here. We've taken long trips and this was a long one, but it's been working very well. We're having tremendous meetings with heads of state, with people of very big consequence having to do with war and peace, which is why we're here. And I just want to thank the secretary general for being with us. We have a few things to discuss. It was a meeting I actually look very forward to. He's doing a fantastic job. We've been friends. We lifted GDP from 2% to 5% together. That was done jointly and it worked out very well and we appreciate it, Mark. So, we'll be talking about various things. We'll be talking about Greenland. I imagine it may come up in our discussion. But I think the trip has been amazing so far. It's been amazing. As you know, we're staying and tomorrow we're doing something else having to do with the border peace. We're getting tremendous acceptance of that. It's going to be great. So, we'll see how that all works out, but we're doing that tomorrow. So, thank you very much media. Thank you very much. And Mark would...
M
Mark Rutte1:40
Yeah. Just briefly, what I just wanted to say again, as I did this morning when I was in a panel, I want to thank you again for what you did since coming in in January Trump 47, basically getting the Europeans and Canada to really step up and that led to the enormous success we had in the 5% which is crucial to defend ourselves and to also equalize with what the US is paying. This was a problem already there since Eisenhower. I always tell the Europeans you're completely committed to NATO but there is also that one irritant and that is this factor that the Europeans were not paying the same as the US was paying and we solved it. And this is crucial also because we need the money to protect ourselves. There's one thing I heard you say yesterday and today: you are not absolutely sure that the Europeans would come to the rescue of the US if you will be attacked. Let me tell you they will and they did in Afghanistan as you know. For every American who paid the ultimate price, for every two Americans who paid the ultimate price, there was one soldier from another NATO country who did not come back to his family, from the Netherlands, from Denmark, particularly from other countries. So you can be assured. Absolutely. If ever the US will be under attack, your allies will be with you. Absolutely. There's absolute guarantee. I really want to tell you that because this is important. It pains me if you think it is not. And under your leadership, this alliance is stronger than ever.
D
Donald Trump3:01
Well, thank you very much. It's a great compliment. Any questions?
R
Reporter3:05
Mr. President, the Danish foreign minister rejected your call to negotiate on Greenland. What will...
D
Donald Trump3:11
I didn't call him.
R
Reporter3:13
Sorry. The Danish foreign minister rejected what you said in your speech that you were hoping to negotiate to acquire Greenland, essentially saying that this is not something that they are willing to discuss. So what will those negotiations...
D
Donald Trump3:27
Well, they didn't tell me that. So when they tell me, because I don't like getting it secondhand. If he wants to tell me, he'll tell me that to my face.
R
Reporter3:33
And when will you be discussing this?
D
Donald Trump3:35
I have no idea.
R
Reporter3:36
When you said you...
D
Donald Trump3:37
I'll be discussing it with this man right here. He's frankly more important.
R
Reporter3:41
Mr. President, when you said you would remember if Denmark did not agree to a deal on Greenland, what did you mean? What are the consequences?
D
Donald Trump3:49
You'll have to figure that out for yourself. You're a smart guy.
R
Reporter3:52
Mr. President, do you see a price for Greenland that's reasonable?
D
Donald Trump3:55
I could see that. Yeah, I can see.
R
Reporter3:57
How would you calculate?
D
Donald Trump3:58
I could see that. But there's a bigger price and that's the price of safety and security and national security and international security having to do with many of your countries. That's really the price and that's the big price. And as you know, we're doing the Golden Dome. It's going to be very expensive and it's better if we have Greenland than it is without. It's going to be safer. It's going to be stronger. It's going to be better for Europe. And it's going to be better for us. And so we'll see what happens.
Any other question?
R
Reporter4:29
Is it reassuring to hear the NATO Secretary General say NATO will defend the United States if it comes under attack?
D
Donald Trump4:36
Well, I hope that that's true. I mean, he's a good man. He's never lied to me before. You know, we've had a good relationship and he made that statement. That's nice. I just, you know, when I see what's happening with Greenland, I wonder because I want Greenland for security. I don't want it for anything else. We have so much rare earth we don't know what to do with it. We don't need it for anything else. And in terms of Greenland, you know, you have to go 25 feet down through ice to get it. It's not something that a lot of people are going to do or want to do. No, this is security we're talking about. And I can say one thing about Mark. He wants security and he wants security for all of us. I think it's you. We're a member of NATO. He wants security for NATO and beyond. So when he says that, Steve, I think it's, you know, it's very nice. Okay. Thank you very much everybody.
M
Mark Rutte5:25
Thank you press. Thank you press.
D
Donald Trump5:26
Thank you.
M
Mark Rutte5:26
Thank you press. Thank you press. Let's go. Let's go. Start moving. Thank you press.
D
Donald Trump5:30
Thank you.
M
Mark Rutte5:31
Thank you press. Let's go. Thank you, sir. Thank you.
Thank you, press. Thank you, press. Keep going.
Thank you, press.