U.S. President Donald Trump described the relationship with NATO as 'one-sided' and called the alliance 'ridiculous.' In a post on Truth Social, Trump said, "When we needed them, they weren't there for us."
Trump's remarks came less than a week before the NATO summit in Ankara. The U.S. President had sharply criticized his allies' reactions following the war with Iran. Trump, who had previously described the alliance as a 'paper tiger,' expressed frustration over restrictions imposed by European countries on the use of U.S. bases.
Despite the agreement reached with Iran, tensions in the region persist, and there are concerns that a possible escalation could overshadow the summit.
Optimistic Message from U.S. Representative
U.S. Permanent Representative to NATO Matthew Whitaker, however, said on Wednesday that he believed the Ankara summit would be 'very successful.' Whitaker pointed to President Trump's commitment to raising NATO allies' defense spending to 5% of GDP, stating that the Ankara summit would be a 'real benchmark' of progress in this area.
Whitaker stressed that the goal is to continue shifting the traditional defense burden in Europe to NATO allies. Noting that the discussions would not be limited to spending amounts but would also cover military capabilities, Whitaker said, "What matters is not the size of the spending, but the type of capabilities that spending achieves." He added that these capabilities should support the transformation of burden-sharing within Europe.
