Key takeaways:
- Trump wrote on Truth Social that the U.S. relationship with NATO is “not reciprocal” and said, “They were not there for us!!!”
- NATO leaders agreed last year, under pressure from Trump, to raise defense-related spending to 5% of GDP by 2035.
- Rubio said Trump’s disappointment with some NATO allies over their response to U.S. operations in the Middle East “will have to be addressed.”
President Trump called the United States’ relationship with NATO “ridiculous” and “one sided” less than a week before leaders of the 32-member military alliance are set to meet in Ankara, Turkey.
Writing Thursday on Truth Social, Trump said Washington’s ties with NATO are “not reciprocal” and added: “They were not there for us!!!” His post included a chart showing NATO spending amounts, with the United States investing vastly more than the other member states depicted, CBS News reported. The Guardian reported that the chart included the United Kingdom and France among the countries shown.
The comments sharpened a dispute between Trump and European allies ahead of the July 7-8 summit in the Turkish capital. Trump has repeatedly criticized allies over their response to the war in Iran, after several countries restricted the use of bases for American forces. CBS News reported that Trump did not consult allies in advance or involve them in planning for the economic and security fallout.
Trump has said he wants Europe to take the lead role in its own defense, and Washington has already moved to scale back commitments. He has also said he may try to pull the United States out of the alliance, though CBS News reported that such a move would require approval from Congress.
Under pressure from Trump, NATO leaders agreed at a gathering last year to increase defense-related spending to 5% of gross domestic product by 2035. Trump’s latest post framed the imbalance in spending as evidence that the alliance’s current structure is unfair to the United States.
The dispute over Iran is also expected to feature at the Ankara summit. The Guardian reported that the U.S. secretary of state has said Trump is disappointed that NATO allies refused to become more actively involved in attacking Iran.
Marco Rubio, meeting with NATO foreign ministers in May, said he expected the rift to be discussed in July. “The president’s views – frankly, disappointment – at some of our Nato allies and their response to our operations in the Middle East, they are well documented,” Rubio said. “That will have to be addressed.”
Rubio called the meeting “one of the more important” summits in NATO’s 77-year history, The Guardian reported.
NATO was founded in 1949 and became a U.S.-led defense alliance credited with maintaining stability in Europe, deterring the Soviet Union and helping establish Washington as a global power for decades. The alliance now faces a summit dominated by questions over spending, military commitments and how much the United States is willing to continue carrying the burden of collective defense.
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