Dutch PM Rutte Says Transatlantic Relations With Biden 'Natural' After 'Awkward' Trump Ties

The US president travelled to the UK for the G7 summit last week and proceeding to attend the NATO summit in Brussels, meeting European leaders, and reiterating his commitment to the transatlantic partnership.

Relations between Washington and European countries under the current US administration are more natural than before, Dutch PM Mark Rutte said on Monday, comparing Joe Biden's policies with those of Donald Trump.

"With Joe Biden... there is a clear understanding of the necessity of NATO", Rutte noted. "I also was able to work with Trump. Of course, it was also a bit more awkward sometimes but in the end, we were still able to come to close agreements... But with Joe Biden, it's more natural again".

President Joe Biden speaks with reporters before boarding Air Force One at Heathrow Airport in London, Sunday, June 13, 2021. Biden is en route to Brussels to attend the NATO summit.

© AP Photo / Patrick Semansky

The praising statement from the Dutch prime minister comes after Biden earlier in the day stressed that NATO was "critically important" to his country and that he saw the collective defence clause as a "sacred obligation". Trump, on the other hand, repeatedly questioned the status-quo, criticising European countries for "delinquent payments" and claiming that many allies owed the US "a tremendous amount of money".