NATO head Mark Rutte said when Trump’s in office “he will be welcomed by a stronger, larger, and more united Alliance.” A quote about expelling the U.S. is fake.
President-elect Donald Trump has repeatedly claimed he can resolve the war between Russia and Ukraine if elected.
During a May 2023 interview with Nigel Farage on British news channel GB News, Trump said, “If I were president, and I say this, I will end that war and one day, it’ll take 24 hours. I know Zelenskyy well. I know Putin well … That deal would be easy.”
Following the election, a quote attributed to NATO Sec. Gen. Mark Rutte went viral regarding Trump’s intervention in the Ukraine-Russia conflict. NATO has supported Ukraine since Russia first invaded in February 2022.
“If Trump surrenders Ukraine to Putin, I will personally expel the United States from the alliance,” Rutte allegedly said, according to the viral post. The quote was also widely viewed on Russian Telegram channels.
People tagged Rutte on X, asking if he actually made the statement.
THE QUESTION
Is the quote attributed to Sec. Gen. Mark Rutte about expelling the U.S. from NATO real?
THE SOURCES
THE ANSWER
No, the quote attributed to Sec. Gen. Mark Rutte about expelling the U.S. from NATO isn’t real.
WHAT WE FOUND
NATO Sec. Gen. Mark Rutte did not say NATO would expel the U.S. if Trump “surrenders Ukraine to Putin.” The viral quote is fake. VERIFY found no credible news reports or evidence that Rutte made the statement or that Trump suggested he would “surrender” Ukraine to Russia.
On Nov. 7, Rutte posted on X, “I spoke with @realDonaldTrump to personally congratulate him on his remarkable election victory. I look forward to seeing him soon. We will work together to tackle the many security challenges we face.”
A NATO press release published Nov. 6 complimented Trump’s past leadership and said following Inauguration Day, Trump “will be welcomed by a stronger, larger, and more united Alliance.”
No mention of expelling the U.S. appears on Rutte’s or NATO’s social media accounts, websites or transcripts. In addition, no formal mechanism exists with NATO’s founding treaty to expel a member country.
Similarly, Trump has not mentioned Ukraine surrendering to Russia. Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskyy congratulated Trump on his presidential win, mentioning Trump’s commitment to the “peace through strength” approach in global affairs.
According to an article from The Washington Post published Nov. 10, Trump reportedly advised Russian President Vladimir Putin after the election not to escalate the war in Ukraine.
“The two men discussed the goal of peace on the European continent and Trump expressed an interest in follow-up conversations to discuss ‘the resolution of Ukraine’s war soon,’” an unnamed source told the Washington Post.
However, the Associated Press and the BBC say the Kremlin denied that the call occurred, and a Trump spokesperson declined comment to the AP on “private calls” with world leaders.
VERIFY reached out to NATO for comment and did not hear back at the time of publication.