politics
President links NATO defense to spending levels
President Donald Trump stated Monday that U.S. contributions to NATO are excessive and that the alliance may not receive defense support against Russia. The remarks came two days before a scheduled White House meeting with the NATO secretary general.
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President Donald Trump stated Monday that U.S. spending on NATO is excessive and indicated the United States might decline to defend alliance members from Russia. "The numbers that we spend are so crazy on NATO, and they weren't there for us," the president said.
He added that U.S. support will "protect them from Russia" while noting that requests for assistance on smaller matters have been declined. "We spend all of this money, and then when we want to, maybe, have help on small stuff — this is small time.
This is not the big one," the president said. "
troop review The president met with NATO leaders at the G7 summit in France last week. Tensions over European participation in the conflict with Iran became public during those discussions.
War Secretary Pete Hegseth announced a six-month review of U.S. troop deployments to Europe last Thursday at a NATO defense ministers meeting in Brussels. The review will be discussed at next month's NATO summit in Turkey.
"As President Trump put it and rightfully so, he gave our allies a test, to support America when we ask for their help, and too many failed it," Hegseth said. " Hegseth added that some allies declined requests for support or raised legal objections when U.S. aircraft or ships needed to operate from European bases.
