Mark Rutte, NATO secretary-general, is working to keep the United States engaged in the alliance ahead of a summit in Turkey, while President Donald Trump has expressed doubts about the partnership. Since assuming office nearly two years ago, Rutte has sought to reassure the United States that European members are meeting defense spending targets. At a recent White House meeting, he presented a chart that listed $1.2 trillion in defense spending by European allies and Canada from 2017 to the present. Trump said he remained disappointed that some allies did not support the United States in the conflict with Iran and stated, “We don’t need their money — we don’t need anything. I just want loyalty.” He added that he might skip the upcoming summit unless it is hosted by Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan. Rutte highlighted that European spending has created tens of thousands of U.S. jobs and generated a backlog of about $300 billion in orders for military equipment. He noted that up to 5,000 U.S. aircraft have taken off from European bases before an April ceasefire, countering claims that NATO does not support U.S. actions. The Pentagon recently announced it would reduce the number of troops, warships, aircraft and drones it would provide if a NATO member were attacked, while Trump has sent mixed signals about future troop levels. Russia has increased drone flights near military bases in several European countries, according to a study released on Thursday, raising concerns about alliance unity. The summit, the first to be hosted by Erdogan, will test whether the alliance can maintain cohesion as Trump demands greater loyalty and European members continue to address security challenges from Russia and China.