The Secretary General of NATO, Mark Rutte, is expected to travel to Washington, D.C. next week, a White House official confirmed to the BBC.
No exact timing for the visit has been disclosed.
Meanwhile, a NATO spokesperson told Reuters that the trip had been planned for some time.
However, the visit comes at a moment of heightened tensions, as U.S. President Donald Trump has sharply criticized European allies over their positions regarding the conflict with Iran and has threatened a potential U.S. withdrawal from the alliance.
On Wednesday, Trump continued his criticism toward countries such as United Kingdom and France, along with other NATO allies, calling them “paper tigers.”
“We have had some very weak allies in NATO,” Trump stated.
“I hope we will never need them. I don’t think we will need them.”
