President-elect Donald Trump and the head of NATO met for talks on global security, the military alliance said on Saturday.
In a brief statement, NATO said Trump and its Secretary General, Mark Rutte, met on Friday in Palm Beach, Florida.
“They discussed the global security issue facing the Alliance,” the statement said without giving details.
It appeared to be Rutte's first meeting with Trump since his election on November 5. Rutte congratulated Trump and said “his leadership will once again be key to keeping our Alliance strong” and that he was looking forward to working with him.
Trump has for years expressed doubts about the Western alliance and complained about defense spending in many of its member states, which he considered too low. He portrayed NATO allies as leeches on the American military and openly questioned the importance of the alliance that has defined American foreign policy for decades. He threatened that he would not protect NATO members who fail to meet defense spending targets.
Rutte and his team also met Trump's pick for national security adviserUS Ambassador Michael Waltz, and other members of the security team of the president-elect, said a statement from NATO.
Rutte took over NATO in October.
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