Trump casts doubt on willingness to defend Nato allies ‘if they don’t pay
The remarks could trigger alarm bells in capitals from Europe to Asia,
where leaders were already worried about a withdrawal of US security
support
US President Donald Trump
has cast doubt on his willingness to defend Washington’s Nato allies,
saying that he would not do so if they are not paying enough for their
own defense.
“It’s common sense, right,” Trump
told reporters in the Oval Office. “If they don’t pay, I’m not going to
defend them. No, I’m not going to defend them.”
Trump said he had been of this view for years and shared it with Nato
allies during his 2017-2021 presidential term. Those efforts prompted
more spending from other members of the 75-year-old transatlantic
alliance, he said, but that “even now, it’s not enough.”
He added: “They should be paying more.”
A mutual assistance clause lies at the heart of the Nato alliance, which
was formed in 1949 with the primary aim of countering the risk of a
Soviet attack on Allied territory.
Trump’s remarks could trigger alarm bells in capitals from Europe to Asia, where leaders were already worried about a withdrawal of US security support after Trump clashed with Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskyy and showed greater willingness to deal with Russian president Vladimir Putin.
Earlier on Thursday, concerned European leaders backed plans to spend more on defense and pledged to continue to stand by Ukraine.
“I know some may have concerns about Nato’s future,” Nato secretary
general Mark Rutte said. “So let me be clear, the transatlantic
relationship and the transatlantic partnership remains the bedrock of
our alliance. President Trump has made clear the commitment of the US
and his commitment personally to Nato, and it has also made clear the
expectation that we in Europe must do more in terms of defense
spending.”
In the Oval Office, Trump said Nato members were friends of his but
questioned whether France or a “couple of others” would protect the US
in a moment of crisis.
“You know the biggest problem I have with Nato? I really, I mean, I know
the guys very well. They’re friends of mine. But if the United States
was in trouble, and we called them, we said, ‘We got a problem, France.
We got a problem, couple of others I won’t mention. Do you think they’re
going to come and protect us?’ They’re supposed to. I’m not so sure.”
The alliance came to the aid of the US after September 11, the only time
in its history that the defense guarantee has been invoked. Article 5
was invoked after the attacks on the twin towers in 2001, leading to Nato’s largest operation in Afghanistan. France’s military participated in the operation.
Trump on Thursday said he viewed Nato as “potentially
good” if what he saw as the spending issue could be fixed. “They’re
screwing us on trade,” he said of the security alliance.
Trump’s comments denigrating Nato are largely in line with his years-long criticism of the alliance,
but they come at a time of heightened concern in the western world over
Trump’s cozy relationship with Russian president Vladimir Putin, who
has long seen Nato as a threat.
Trump had affirmed the US’s commitments to the mutual defense of Nato as
recently as last week during a press conference alongside British prime
minister Keir Starmer.
The French embassy in Washington could not immediately be reached. A Nato spokesperson referred to Rutte’s earlier comments.
