NATO Chief: 'World Was Safer Under Trump'

NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte has assessed that the world was safer during the tenure of former US President Donald Trump. In a CNN interview, Rutte stated that although Trump's presidency was challenging for NATO member states, it was a safer time for the world as a whole.

Rutte cited US military actions against Iran's nuclear and missile capabilities as the basis for his judgment that the world was safer. "Degrading these capabilities is really, really very important for the safety of you and me in America, Europe, and the Middle East," he added. He pointed out that military measures were unavoidable to prevent Iran from developing nuclear weapons, and that the situation could have spiraled out of control if diplomatic efforts had dragged on longer. There was broad consensus among NATO allies that preventing Iran from acquiring nuclear and ballistic missile capabilities was a top priority. Rutte assessed that US actions against Iran's nuclear and missile capabilities made the world safer, adding that Iran's capacity to cause chaos in the region, Europe, and globally must be eliminated.

NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte also said that former President Donald Trump's leadership spurred NATO member states to fulfill their defense spending commitments. While acknowledging that some European countries did not fully support US operations in Iran, he added that the majority of allies, including France, had met their previous promises.

Rutte described his meetings with former President Donald Trump as frank yet cooperative. "It was a very frank and open discussion, a discussion between two friends," he said.

Rutte identified Russia, North Korea, Belarus, China, and Iran as key threat factors.