NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte said that he congratulated former President Trump on his victory in the U.S. presidential election, adding that the candidate’s leadership will be “key” to keeping the alliance strong.
“I just congratulated @realDonaldTrump on his election as President of the United States. His leadership will again be key to keeping our Alliance strong,” Rutte wrote in a post on the social platform X early Wednesday morning. “I look forward to working with him again to advance peace through strength through #NATO.”
The praise comes as Trump has drawn scrutiny for threatening to pull out of the alliance, upend American support for the war in Ukraine and criticized NATO allies for not spending adequately on defense.
Trump and his Democratic opponent, Vice President Harris, have significantly different approaches on how to handle Ukraine and NATO, as Harris has pledged strong support of Kyiv, while Trump has touted an isolationist approach.
While on the campaign trail and on social media, the former president vowed to end the nearly three-year war between Russia and Ukraine if he was elected back to the White House. His apparent friendship with Russian President Vladimir Putin has also raised eyebrows across the political spectrum.
Trump has been openly critical of Ukraine and called Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky “one of the greatest salesmen” for securing billions of dollars in security aid from Washington.
“He should never have let that war start,” Trump said, apparently referring to Zelensky, during an interview with the “PBD Podcast” adding, ”That war’s a loser.”
Harris, meanwhile, has backed Ukraine since Russia’s invasion in February 2022, saying “my support for the people of Ukraine is unwavering” before a September meeting with Zelensky. She also said in an interview last month with CBS’s “60 Minutes” that she would not meet Putin to negotiate an end to the war without Ukraine.
“I have been proud to stand with Ukraine. I will continue to stand with Ukraine. And I will work to ensure Ukraine prevails in this war,” she had said.
Trump met earlier this year with the Ukrainian leader as well. Zelensky also offered congratulations to Trump for his election win early Wednesday.
