The controversial meeting over dinner between Dutch king Willem-Alexander and queen Máxima, prime minister Rob Jetten and US president Donald Trump passed off without incident on Monday evening, and may have lasted longer than planned, according to Dutch media reports.

Jetten said afterwards it had been an “open and constructive” meeting which covered the war in the Middle East, Nato and the trade relationship between the Netherlands and the US.

“Of course we also discussed the recent developments in and around Iran. It is important that we now work towards a sustainable solution and prevent the situation from escalating further,” he said in a social media comment. “Russia’s continuing aggression in Ukraine was also a key topic of discussion.”

Jetten left after the three-course meal of “a nice soup, fish and a delicious chocolate desert”, telling reporters the meeting had been “too short to convince each other but long enough to better understand each other’s position”.

The king and queen spent the night at the White House on the invitation of the president.

President Donald J. Trump and the First Lady welcome King Willem-Alexander and Queen Máxima of the Netherlands to the White House. 🇺🇸🇳🇱 pic.twitter.com/QDu0krH96t

— The White House (@WhiteHouse) April 14, 2026

Shortly before the dinner, the king gave a speech at a networking event in which he stressed the importance of having “strong and reliable partners” like the Netherlands.

“Partners like these are worth their weight in gold, particularly in an unpredictable world full of ruthless competition for power and influence,” he said.

The king also spoke about the importance of Nato, which Trump has threatened to quit. “The US and the Netherlands became great thanks to free trade, but our relations go further and deeper too,” he said. “As Nato allies, we’ve been protecting our free societies from ruthless aggressors like Russia for more than 75 years.”

As democracies, the US and the Netherlands cherish their freedom, he said. At the same time, “the Netherlands will always remain dedicated to promoting an international order based on law and rules,” he said. “That’s the only path to peace and stability.”

The cabinet earlier described the timing of the dinner and meeting as “unfortunate”, given the conflict in the Middle East and Trump’s recent outbursts.

After their stay at the White House, on Tuesday the royal entourage moves on to Florida for talks with business leaders and to find out more about the state’s strategy for water management. The king is due to give another speech on Wednesday.