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Trump Raises Doubts About NATO Defense Commitments to US
(MENAFN) President Donald Trump has publicly challenged whether NATO partners would honor mutual defense obligations to America, even as he reaffirmed Washington's commitment to protect alliance members.
During a Tuesday briefing, Trump positioned himself as the military bloc's greatest champion while questioning the reciprocal nature of the transatlantic security pact.
"I see all the stuff, but NATO has to treat us fairly, too. The big fear I have with NATO is [that] we spend tremendous amounts of money with NATO, and I know we'll come to their rescue, but I just really do question whether or not they'll come to ours," the president stated.
Trump further asserted his pivotal role in strengthening the alliance, recalling that member states committed to increasing defense expenditures to 5% of GDP during his tenure. "I did more for NATO than any other person alive or dead," he claimed.
The NATO founding treaty's Article 5 establishes that an armed assault on one member constitutes an assault on all, though it permits each nation to determine "such action as it deems necessary," including military force. The provision has been activated just once—following the September 11, 2001 terrorist strikes against America, when alliance nations supported U.S. counterterrorism missions. The mutual defense mechanism does not apply when one NATO member attacks another.
Trump's remarks surface amid intensifying friction with European NATO states over his campaign to acquire Greenland, the autonomous Danish territory, and his tariff threats against countries supporting Denmark's sovereignty claims. While Trump has justified the territorial push as essential for American national security, European governments have pushed back, cautioning against a "dangerous downward spiral" that could fracture alliance cohesion.
The Daily Mail disclosed earlier this month that Trump had commissioned plans for a potential military invasion of Greenland, with sources indicating such action could trigger "the destruction of NATO from the inside."
During a Tuesday briefing, Trump positioned himself as the military bloc's greatest champion while questioning the reciprocal nature of the transatlantic security pact.
"I see all the stuff, but NATO has to treat us fairly, too. The big fear I have with NATO is [that] we spend tremendous amounts of money with NATO, and I know we'll come to their rescue, but I just really do question whether or not they'll come to ours," the president stated.
Trump further asserted his pivotal role in strengthening the alliance, recalling that member states committed to increasing defense expenditures to 5% of GDP during his tenure. "I did more for NATO than any other person alive or dead," he claimed.
The NATO founding treaty's Article 5 establishes that an armed assault on one member constitutes an assault on all, though it permits each nation to determine "such action as it deems necessary," including military force. The provision has been activated just once—following the September 11, 2001 terrorist strikes against America, when alliance nations supported U.S. counterterrorism missions. The mutual defense mechanism does not apply when one NATO member attacks another.
Trump's remarks surface amid intensifying friction with European NATO states over his campaign to acquire Greenland, the autonomous Danish territory, and his tariff threats against countries supporting Denmark's sovereignty claims. While Trump has justified the territorial push as essential for American national security, European governments have pushed back, cautioning against a "dangerous downward spiral" that could fracture alliance cohesion.
The Daily Mail disclosed earlier this month that Trump had commissioned plans for a potential military invasion of Greenland, with sources indicating such action could trigger "the destruction of NATO from the inside."
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