newly elected president donald trump NATO chiefs and NATO chiefs have met for talks on global security, the military alliance said on Saturday.
NATO said in a brief statement that Trump and its Secretary-General Mark Rutte met on Friday in Palm Beach, Florida.
“They discussed global security issues facing the alliance,” the statement said, without giving details.
It appears to have been Rutte's first meeting with Trump since the November 5 election. Rutte had earlier congratulated Trump and said that “his leadership will again be vital in keeping our alliance strong” and that he looked forward to working with him.
For years, Trump has expressed skepticism about western alliance and complained about the defense spending of many of its member states, which they considered too low. He portrayed NATO allies as leeches on the US military and openly questioned the value of the alliance that has defined US foreign policy for decades. He threatened not to defend NATO members who fail to meet defense-spending targets.
Also met Rutte and his team Trump's selection as National Security AdvisorU.S. Representative Michael Waltz and other members of the president-elect's national security team, the NATO statement said.
Rutte took command of NATO in October.