Trump Criticizes NATO Spending Ahead of Ankara Summit, Calls US Role One-Sided
US President Donald Trump launched a sharp critique of NATO on Thursday, less than a week before the alliance's summit in Ankara, Turkey. Posting on his Truth Social account, Trump called it "ridiculous" that the US continues on a unilateral path within NATO, accusing European allies of not reciprocating support. He included a chart highlighting the vast disparity in defense spending, showing the US at $999 billion compared to Britain's $90.5 billion, France's $66.5 billion, Italy's $48.8 billion, and Poland's $44.3 billion.
Trump's attack reflects ongoing frustration with European NATO members, particularly over their handling of the conflict with Iran and restrictions on US military base usage. He has repeatedly questioned the financial contributions of European countries to NATO, recently accusing them of failing a key loyalty test during the war and preferring not to assist, a claim he called "stupid."
The 36th NATO summit is scheduled for July 7-8 in Ankara. NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg, who met Trump last week in Washington, sought to present a positive outlook, stating the alliance will demonstrate its commitment made at last year's Hague summit and announce new contracts worth tens of billions of dollars. The US administration refers to this initiative as "NATO 3.0," aiming for Europe to take on the main security burden while the US reduces its involvement in the continent.
Despite Trump's harsh rhetoric, Washington officials believe he may leave the summit claiming a victory, partly due to his good relationship with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, the summit host.
