NATO boss Rutte held talks with Trump in Florida, alliance says

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BRUSSELS (Reuters) -NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte met U.S. President-elect Donald Trump in Palm Beach, Florida, on Friday, a spokesperson for the transatlantic military alliance said on Saturday.

“They discussed the range of global security issues facing the Alliance,” the spokesperson, Farah Dakhlallah, said in a brief statement.

On its website, NATO said Rutte and his team also met with Congressman Mike Waltz, Trump’s pick to be his national security adviser when he returns to the White House, and other members of the president-elect’s national security team.

On Friday, NATO did not respond to requests for comment on Dutch media reports that Rutte – a former prime minister of the Netherlands – had flown to Florida on a Dutch government plane to meet Trump.

Rutte, who took office as NATO chief last month, was widely regarded as one of the best European leaders at forging a good working relationship with Trump during his first, 2017-21 term as U.S. president.

(Reporting by Andrew GrayEditing by Mark Heinrich and Frances Kerry)