NATO's secretary-general has defended referring to United States President Donald Trump as "daddy".
Earlier on Thursday (AEST), during an event as part of a NATO alliance summit in the Netherlands, Trump likened Israel and Iran to "two kids in a schoolyard".
"They've had a big fight," he said. "You know, they fight like hell, you can't stop them. Let them fight for about two, three minutes, then it's easy to stop them."
In response, NATO secretary-general Mark Rutte laughed and said: "And then daddy has to sometimes use strong language to get [them to] stop."
He was referring to Trump's comments after a ceasefire deal between Israel and Iran, saying they had been fighting "so long and so hard that they don't know what the f--k they're doing".
Rutte says Donald Trump is a 'good friend'
With the 32-member NATO alliance endeavouring to placate Trump after complaints that it was over-reliant on US financial and military muscle, Rutte was asked if he might be over-flattering the US president.
"No, I don't think so. I think it's a bit of a question of taste," he said, calling Trump a "good friend" for more than a decade and praising his role in "finally" persuading Europe to boost military spending.
"So doesn't he deserve some praise?" Rutte asked, also noting Trump's decision to bomb Iran's nuclear sites.
"And when it comes to Iran, the fact that he took this decisive action, very targeted, to make sure that Iran would not be able to get his hands on a nuclear capability — I think he deserves all the praise."
Rutte also said he wasn't calling Trump himself "daddy".
"In Europe, I hear sometimes countries saying, 'Hey, Mark, will the US stay with us [in an alliance]?
"And I said, that sounds a little bit like a small child asking his daddy, 'Hey, are you still staying with the family?'. So, in that sense, I used 'daddy', not that I was calling President Trump daddy."
Donald Trump reacts
Trump also answered a question about the remark during a press conference, telling reporters: "He likes me, I think he likes me; if he doesn't, I'll let you know, I'll come back and hit him hard.
"He did it very affectionately: Daddy, you're my daddy," Trump said.
At the summit, NATO leaders backed Trump's call for increased defence spending and reaffirmed their commitment to defend one another from attacks.
With additional reporting by Reuters.
