BRUSSELS — U.S. President-elect Donald Trump and the head of NATO met for discussions on global security, the military alliance announced Saturday.

In a brief statement, NATO said Trump and its Secretary General, Mark Rutte, met Friday in Palm Beach, Florida.

“They discussed the range of global security challenges facing the Alliance,” the statement said without elaborating. This appears to be Rutte’s first meeting with Trump since his election on November 5. Rutte had previously congratulated Trump and said that “his leadership will again be key to keeping our Alliance strong” and that he looked forward to working with him.

Trump has for years expressed skepticism about the Western alliance and complained about defense spending by many of its member countries, which he considers too low. He has described NATO allies as leeches on the U.S. military and openly questioned the value of the alliance that has defined U.S. foreign policy for decades. He threatened not to defend NATO members who fail to meet their defense spending targets.

Rutte and his team also met with Trump’s chosen national security adviser, U.S. Rep. Michael Waltz, as well as other members of the president-elect’s national security team, according to the NATO statement.

Rutte took over as head of NATO in October.

Image credits: AP/Alex Brandon