US President Donald Trump is preparing to host NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte at the White House amid a climate of deep dissatisfaction he feels toward European allies.
During an exchange with reporters, Trump was asked about the review of the American military presence in NATO member states, a process being led by Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, as well as the possibility of withdrawing US troops from Europe. His response was perceived more as a warning message.
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“We have been an excellent member of NATO, in many respects the only real member and undoubtedly the dominant member. Over the years, we have spent not billions, but trillions of dollars on Europe’s defense. At one point I wanted to see whether our allies would truly be there for us. I told Pete Hegseth to verify this and, when we asked for their support, they did not show up. That was absurd,” Trump said.
The White House chief focused in particular on Britain’s resigned prime minister, Keir Starmer, toward whom he expressed criticism, accusing him of a lack of involvement and of avoiding obligations toward an ally.
“Starmer was not there for us, and people in the United Kingdom did not take that well. He did not simply say ‘no,’ but also declared that ‘we will be there after you win.’ I replied that we did not need help after we had won. We were not talking to Winston Churchill, I can say that with certainty,” the American president said further.
Trump also mentioned other European countries, including Italy and Germany, raising doubts about the balance of contributions within the Alliance. “We give NATO around 600 billion dollars a year, and these are crazy figures, but when we need their help, they prefer not to get involved.
We spend a lot to protect them, mainly from Russia, and when we ask for cooperation, they refuse us. It is an incomprehensible stance,” Trump concluded.
