As NATO's Rutte seeks peace with Trump, Italy rebuts his remarks

Italy pushed back against remarks by NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte that hundreds of US aircraft had taken off from American bases in Italy to support military operations against Iran, saying Rome had authorized only technical and logistical flights.

Rutte cited Italy as an example of European support for the US and said 500 US planes had taken off from US bases in Italy "to support Epic Fury", Washington's name for the war it launched alongside Israel.

The remarks caused a political row in Italy, where Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni's government has repeatedly said it did not authorize the use of Italian territory for direct military action against Iran.

In a statement, Defense Minister Guido Crosetto said Italy had acted in full compliance with its constitution, international treaties and agreements governing allied bases on its soil.

"As already clarified in parliament, the government authorized exclusively technical and logistical, non-kinetic activities," the minister said, adding that Italy had refused requests that fell outside those limits.

Strained US-Italy relations 

Ties are already strained between Meloni and US President Donald Trump following a public spat last week over Italy's refusal to support the US military campaign against Iran and Trump's personal attacks on the Italian leader.

Crosetto expressed surprise that Rutte, who "has nothing to do with Operation Epic Fury", had given an account that conveyed a "totally misleading message" by confusing authorized support flights with combat-related operations.

Italy hosts about 120 US military facilities including the Sigonella naval air station in Sicily and the Aviano air base in northern Italy.

In response to a request for comment, a NATO official said Rutte had only "highlighted how Allies including Italy carried out their existing bilateral agreements in the context of basing and overflights."

Opposition leaders in Italy seized on Rutte's comments, demanding fresh explanations from the government.

Five Star Movement leader and former Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte said Meloni should clarify the matter in parliament, while Nicola Fratoianni of the Green and Left Alliance said either the government had misled lawmakers or Rutte "has suffered a heatstroke".

Rutte trying to soothe Trump tensions

Rutte was at the White House seeking to soothe tensions with Trump over the Iran war and US threats to draw down troops in Europe, ahead of a pivotal NATO leaders' summit in July in Ankara.

Trump, a longtime NATO critic who has called the alliance a "paper tiger," has been angered by allies' refusal to support the US in the Middle East conflict or help reopen the Strait of Hormuz after a US-Israeli attack on Iran on February 28 disrupted the major oil shipping route.

During the Oval Office meeting, Rutte used cardboard charts to show how much NATO countries have stepped up their defense spending since Trump first came into office in 2017.

He also said thousands of US planes had taken off from bases in Europe during the war, pointing to that cooperation as a sign of the allies' support. 

"I know there have been isolated cases about which you are really disappointed, but generally speaking your European allies have been there," Rutte said.

Trump appeared unconvinced, at times interrupting Rutte to disagree with him, though he praised the Dutchman's leadership of the troubled Atlantic alliance.

"You really have done a good job, and I think if anybody else were in that position, we wouldn't even be meeting today, to be honest with you, because we were let down," Trump said.

Managing US hostility 

Since Trump's return to office last year, one of Rutte's primary roles has been managing the president's hostility toward the alliance and preventing tense moments, including Trump's push to acquire Greenland, from spiraling into lasting crises.

Tensions between Washington and NATO have escalated in recent months. After NATO allies refused to back Trump's Iran campaign, which he began without prior consultation, Trump openly questioned whether the US should stand by NATO's mutual defense pact and said he was considering leaving the alliance.

Another point of tension has been the increasing pressure from Washington on Europe to handle more of its security as the United States believes there is an "unhealthy co-dependence" by Europe on US forces.

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth last week berated "free-riding" allies at a NATO meeting and announced a six-month review of US troop deployments in Europe that could result in some reductions of American forces. That followed a decision by the US to shrink the pool of US military capabilities available to the alliance in a crisis, leaving members grappling with how to fill gaps.

Crucial July summit 

The alliance heads into the July 7–8 summit under unprecedented strain, with some European countries concerned that Washington may withdraw outright, a move that would throw into question the future of the alliance.

Speaking to reporters after his meeting, Rutte said Trump was "committed" to NATO, even as the Republican president earlier cast doubt on whether he would attend the summit if Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan, whom he considers an ally, was not hosting it.

"What we went through over the last two months with the various countries… I would not have gone for most people," Trump said. He expressed particular disappointment with the United Kingdom, Italy, Germany and Spain, while praising Poland.

At last year's summit in The Hague, NATO leaders backed the big increase in defense spending that Trump demanded, pledging to spend 5% of GDP on defense and defense-related measures within a decade. But while some European countries have sharply increased defense spending, others have lagged behind.

When Trump reiterated his frustration on Wednesday about insufficient funding, Rutte highlighted Germany's plans to double its defense spending between 2021 and 2029 and other significant increases planned by the Netherlands, Poland, the Nordic states and the Baltic countries.