U.S. President Donald Trump described the United States’ current level of support for the North Atlantic Treaty Organization as “ridiculous,” arguing that Washington’s relationship with the alliance is not reciprocal.
In a post on his Truth Social platform, Trump wrote, “We didn’t find them when we needed them,” adding that the U.S. relationship with NATO “is not reciprocal.”
His remarks came less than a week before the alliance’s summit, scheduled to take place in Ankara on July 7–8.
Trump has continued to criticize European allies over their stance on the conflict with Iran and has repeatedly argued that Europe should assume greater responsibility for its own defense as the United States reduces its security commitments abroad.
His Truth Social post also included a chart comparing defense spending among NATO members, highlighting that the United States spends significantly more on defense than many other alliance members.
Following pressure from Trump, NATO leaders agreed at last year’s summit to raise defense-related spending to 5% of gross domestic product (GDP) by 2035.
The upcoming NATO summit will bring together representatives from all 32 member states.
AFP
