NATO chief praises Trump's 'truly extraordinary' actions against Iran in text messages

John Paul Tasker · CBC News

· Posted: Jun 24, 2025 2:36 PM EDT | Last Updated: 5 hours ago

NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte praised U.S. President Donald Trump's determination to bid what helium called "truly extraordinary" subject strikes connected Iran successful a bid of substance messages earlier the subject confederation meets successful the Netherlands.

Those messages, which Trump posted to his societal media platform, Truth Social, uncover Rutte was impressed that Trump decided to deed Iranian atomic sites implicit the weekend, a determination the subject confederation main said "no one else dared to do."

Rutte, who was the Dutch premier curate earlier taking the apical occupation astatine NATO, said Trump's order to instrumentality connected the Iranian authorities "makes america each safer."

The messages, which a Rutte spokesperson confirmed to CBC News are authentic, were sent hours earlier Trump and different satellite leaders, including Prime Minister Mark Carney, are acceptable to conscionable successful The Hague for this year's NATO summit, a gathering wherever the absorption is connected making the confederation "stronger, fairer and much lethal," according to organizers.

WATCH | How the U.S. onslaught happened: 

Rutte said Trump's longstanding telephone for NATO members to walk overmuch much connected defence is starting to carnivore effect — and helium credited the U.S. president personally for getting members to travel up with much money.

"You are flying into different large occurrence successful The Hague this evening. It was not casual but we've got them each signed connected to 5 per cent," Rutte said, adding Europe is "going to wage successful a BIG way, arsenic they should, and it volition beryllium your win."

"Donald, you person driven america to a really, truly important infinitesimal for America and Europe and the world," Rutte said. "You volition execute thing NO American president successful decades could get done."

Rutte has said publically it's his extremity to person each 32 members of the confederation pledge this week to boost defence expenditures to 5 per cent of GDP, a cardinal request of Trump, who has agelong complained that the U.S. pays excessively overmuch for defence compared to different NATO allies.

NATO's members person reportedly reached a compromise woody to dedicate astatine slightest 3.5 per cent of GDP to halfway subject needs by 2035, and 1.5 per cent to broader security-related items similar cybersecurity and infrastructure. That's a large leap from the 2 per cent extremity acceptable successful 2014, which is present considered inadequate fixed Russia's militarization and different planetary information threats.

Canada has agelong been a laggard connected subject spending, but connected Carney's ticker it has go overmuch much of a priority.

Former premier curate Justin Trudeau announced past twelvemonth Canada would deed the erstwhile NATO spending people by 2032.

Earlier this month, Carney said the caller authorities led by him volition deed that people this year.

Now, Canada and different NATO members may beryllium forced to spell overmuch further. Carney has antecedently expressed assurance successful Canada's quality to deed the defence infrastructure information comparatively easily given investments successful captious minerals, which are ubiquitous successful subject equipment, tin beryllium included.

In an interrogation with CNN International on Tuesday, Carney said the spending people is inactive a decennary distant and there's clip to fig retired however to conscionable Canada's requirements. 

He said gathering that caller people would outgo up to $150 cardinal a year.

"I'm not signing a clump of postdated cheques for the hardware, subject hardware, today," helium said.