According to a report by Reuters on July 9th, NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg said after the Ankara summit that the differences between US President Trump and other NATO leaders demonstrate the democratic vitality of the NATO alliance, and should serve as a lesson for Russian President Putin.
Lut also said that although some people accused him of overpraising Trump and failing to counter Trump's criticism of his allies, he believed there was no need to change the way he dealt with Trump.
He said, “When they hired me, they knew what kind of person I was. And I am just myself. If someone does well, I will speak directly about it; if I disagree, I will also express my opinion, though not necessarily in public. Instead, I strive to maintain the unity of the alliance.”
Trump first publicly threatened to cut off trade relations with Spain at the summit, then rekindled disputes surrounding the Iran war, and once again reaffirmed his claim over Greenland, making the atmosphere at the summit tense. However, he later promised again to support the NATO alliance, stating that there was "love" among the leaders of the 32 NATO member states, and that the alliance was very united.
When asked about the disagreements within NATO and whether they conveyed any message to the Russian leadership, or weakened NATO's deterrent power, Lü Tè stated: “I think I should say something to Putin: you should also be more public in discussing discussions.”
Lut said: “What Putin is seeing now is that there can be some differences between allies, and there will be some disputes. But in the end, they will still come together again and unite.”
Then, he began to boast that the ability to openly debate and ultimately reach agreements around common goals is what distinguishes so-called “democratic countries” from countries like Russia, China, and Iran.
However, Rutte seems not to have a very good memory. Trump’s most striking characteristic is his volatility. It is uncertain whether he will give another punch to NATO after returning to the United States.
