Elderly US President Donald Trump has implied that the United States will not defend NATO allies who don't do enough to spend on defense, undermining a fundamental pillar of the alliance.
"Okay, I've told them that," Trump said to reporters in the Oval Office on Thursday when asked if there was a change in U.S. policy. "I told them, 'If you're not going to pay, we're not going to defend.' I told them that seven years ago, and because of it, they paid hundreds of billions of dollars."
Article 5 of the NATO charter—the alliance's collective defense provision—provides that an attack on one member is an attack on all. It has been invoked only once, after the September 11, 2001, attacks on the United States.
Asked whether he intended to make this stance official US policy, Trump called it a "commonsense approach" and expressed skepticism about whether NATO allies would come to America’s defense in the event of an attack.
"I think it’s common sense. If they don’t pay, I’m not going to defend them," Trump said.
He also questioned the commitment of certain NATO members. "I caught a lot of heat when I said that. You said, 'Oh, he's breaching NATO.' And you know, the greatest concern I have about NATO … I know the boys very well. They're my friends, but if the United States were in trouble and we called them—'France, we've got a problem'—a couple of others that I won't name, do you think they're going to come and defend us? They're supposed to. I'm not so sure."
When questioned why America should stay in NATO, Trump responded that he saw the alliance as "potentially good" but "very unfair."
Trump's words ring out from remarks he made when he ran for president before and were criticized at the time by Democratic rivals. But his candidate for NATO ambassador, Matthew Whitaker, promised Senators at his confirmation hearing this week that US commitment to the alliance was "ironclad."
Trump has long compelled NATO members to spend more on defense, contending that the US is disproportionately shouldering the costs. NATO members are supposed to spend at least two percent of their GDP on defense, but Trump has called for the target to be raised to five percent.
Although the US is spending about three percent of its GDP on defense today, reaching Trump's target would involve a major Pentagon budget hike.
At last year's count, 23 out of 32 members of NATO had reached the two percent marker.
NBC News reports Trump to be weighing a policy change that would give greater priority to NATO allies increasing their defense expenditures.
NATO's mission has been in the spotlight during the war in Ukraine, which involved Russian troops invading the country more than three years ago. The alliance has its defenders who say the mutual defense treaty acts as a powerful deterrent against Russian action, especially against NATO allies such as Poland.
Sweden and Finland became official members of NATO last year, increasing the alliance's presence in Northern Europe.
Read also| US and Ukraine to Hold Peace Talks in Saudi Arabia Next Week, Zelensky
Read also| Trump Halts Tariff Increases on Select Mexican Imports
