Trump raises doubts about NATO, including whether allies would defend US

WASHINGTON

US President Donald Trump continued to raise doubts Thursday about the transatlantic NATO alliance, casting doubt about whether allies would come to the defense of the US if needed, despite a history of them doing so.

Trump continued to maintain that if NATO allies do not hit an internal goal of spending 2% of their GDP on defense, "I'm not going to defend them," but said "the biggest problem" he has with NATO is his uncertainty over whether they would come to Washington's defense.

"The biggest problem I have with NATO, I mean, I know the guys very well, they're friends of mine. But if the United States was in trouble, and we called them, we said 'We got a problem, France. We got a problem, a couple of others,' I won't mention. You think they're going to come and protect us? They're supposed to. I'm not so sure," he said.

Trump specifically mentioned defense commitments made by the US to Japan after World War II that were made to ensure the country did not raise an offensive military but complained that Japan does not have a similar obligation to the US.

Japan is not a NATO ally, though it is an alliance partner.

Article Five of the NATO Treaty obligates member states to come to the defense of an ally if and when they are asked to do so following an attack on their homeland.

The only time the clause has been activated was by the US in the wake of the Sept. 11, 2001 terrorist attacks.

Trump said the US would only abide by Article Five if the ally met the internal 2% spending guideline, though he has demanded that allies increase it to 5%, a goal not even met by the US.

"If you're not going to pay your bills, we're not going to defend you. And it also went for the attack, but if they got attacked, they said, 'Well, does that mean you won't defend us?' I said, 'Are you current or are you delinquent?' They said, 'if we were delinquent, would you?' I said, 'No, I would not," the president said.

NATO leaders set the 2% guideline in 2014. To date, 24 of the alliance's 32 members have met it, driven in part by threats made by Trump during his first term, but also Russia's war on Ukraine, which has brought open war to the European continent for the first time since World War II.

WASHINGTON

Japan is not a NATO ally, though it is an alliance partner.

Article Five of the NATO Treaty obligates member states to come to the defense of an ally if and when they are asked to do so following an attack on their homeland.

The only time the clause has been activated was by the US in the wake of the Sept. 11, 2001 terrorist attacks.

Trump said the US would only abide by Article Five if the ally met the internal 2% spending guideline, though he has demanded that allies increase it to 5%, a goal not even met by the US.