Speaking to CNN after Wednesday's closed-door meeting at the White House, Rutte repeatedly avoided giving a direct answer when asked whether Trump had raised leaving the alliance.
"Let me put it clearly, he is clearly disappointed in many NATO allies, and I understand his point of view", Rutte said.
He added, however, that he had consistently pointed Trump to examples of allies stepping up.
"The overwhelming majority of European countries helped with bases, providing logistics, overflights and meeting commitments", Rutte said. He added there was also broad support for reducing Iran's nuclear and ballistic capabilities, saying "only the United States was able to do that at this moment".
Rutte also cited British Prime Minister Keir Starmer's initiative to build a coalition of more than 30 countries to help ensure freedom of navigation through the Strait of Hormuz.
Asked again whether Trump had spoken of quitting NATO, Rutte again gave an indirect answer.
"As I said, there is clear disappointment, but at the same time the president listened carefully to my arguments about what is happening", he said, pointing to allies' pledges to raise defense spending to 5% of GDP.
Trump later posted a short message repeating his criticism of NATO: "NATO WASN’T THERE WHEN WE NEEDED THEM, AND THEY WON’T BE THERE IF WE NEED THEM AGAIN. REMEMBER GREENLAND, THAT BIG, POORLY RUN, PIECE OF ICE!!!"
Rutte rejected Trump's assessment that NATO "was tested and failed".
"That is not the full picture. Europe as a platform for U.S. power projection has functioned flawlessly over the past six weeks", he said.
Asked about reported "penalties" for allies seen as disloyal, including moving U.S. troops from countries such as Germany and Spain to Poland, Lithuania, Romania or Greece, Rutte did not deny the reports and said only that it had been "a frank and open conversation between friends".
He also defended the U.S. decision to strike Iran's nuclear and missile capabilities, saying prolonged diplomacy risked a "North Korean scenario".
"The whole world is safer today because the president degraded those capabilities", Rutte said.
On the Strait of Hormuz, Rutte said Starmer had launched a coalition to safeguard shipping, but added he did not have current intelligence on whether the waterway remained open and that the situation should become clearer "in the coming days".
(jh)
Source: PAP, Washington Post