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US President Donald Trump is considering major changes to the United States' participation in NATO, including making American cooperation dependent on the share of the Alliance members' GDP they spend on defense.
This was reported by NBC News, citing American officials.
According to them, Trump discussed with aides the possibility of reviewing US participation in NATO in such a way as to give preference to those states that allocate a certain percentage of their gross domestic product to defense needs.
It is noted that the United States may refuse to defend against external attack those NATO members whose defense spending does not meet a certain level.
Trump is also considering prioritizing military exercises with those Alliance nations that spend a sufficient share of their GDP on defense.
His administration has already made it clear to European allies that the United States may reduce its military presence in Europe, including redeploying some American troops to or around NATO countries that have increased their defense spending.
More than a decade ago, NATO countries agreed to set a defense spending target of 2% of GDP. Trump has been pushing for that percentage to be increased. He recently said that NATO members should spend 5% of GDP on defense, even though the United States itself does not.
Last year, 23 NATO countries spent more than 2% of their GDP on defense. Five of them – Estonia, Greece, Latvia, Poland, the United States and Estonia – spent more than 3% on defense. Poland had the highest figure, allocating 4,12% of its GDP.
Photo: The Washington Post
