Trump sees ‘very strong’ NATO and says US is with them ‘all the way’ – Washington Examiner
During a recent NATO summit in The Hague, President Donald Trump reaffirmed the United States’ commitment to NATO, emphasizing support for Article 5, which states that an attack on one member is considered an attack on all. Trump declared, “we are with them all the way,” and noted that many NATO allies will pledge to increase their defense spending to 5% of GDP by 2035, a significant rise from the current 2%.
Secretary General Mark Rutte acknowledged that the U.S.has historically borne too much of the defense burden and praised Trump for catalyzing this change, stating that as 2016, U.S. leadership has led to an additional $1 trillion in spending from European allies. Rutte committed to further increases in budget allocations for NATO members to strengthen collective defense efforts.
Trump sees ‘very strong’ NATO and says US is with them ‘all the way’
President Donald Trump stressed his commitment to NATO in his comments before meeting with leaders at the alliance’s summit on Wednesday at The Hague, Netherlands.
When Trump was asked about the commitment of the U.S. to NATO’s Article 5, he replied that he was supportive of the alliance.
“We are with them all the way,” Trump said.
NATO’s Article 5 is at the crux of the alliance organization’s existence. It is predicated on collective defense, asserting that any attack on one NATO country is considered an attack on all NATO countries.
“The Parties agree that an armed attack against one or more of them in Europe or North America shall be considered an attack against them all, and consequently, they agree that, if such an armed attack occurs, each of them, in exercise of the right of individual or collective self-defense recognized by Article 51 of the Charter of the United Nations, will assist the Party or Parties so attacked by taking forthwith, individually and in concert with the other Parties, such action as it deems necessary, including the use of armed force, to restore and maintain the security of the North Atlantic area,” reads NATO’s Article 5.
Many have wondered if Trump would adhere to Article 5 after past comments expressing dissatisfaction with European countries spending a lesser amount to NATO’s defenses than the U.S. At this year’s summit, leaders are expected to announce that each member will pledge to increase their country’s defense spending to 5% of GDP by 2035.
“I’ve been asking them to go up to 5% for a number of years, and they’re going up to 5%…from 2%, and a lot of people didn’t even pay the 2%,” Trump said Wednesday morning. “I think that’s going to be very big news. NATO’s going to become very strong with us.”
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While speaking before NATO leaders, Secretary General Mark Rutte announced that NATO would commit to increasing their defense spending, after acknowledging the U.S. “carried too much of the burdern of that commitment” in previous years. Rutte pledged that NATO countries would increase spending to 5% of their countries’ GDP. He also praised Trump for being the catalyst for the change, stating that the U.S. president “made this change possible.”
“For too long, one ally, the United States, carried too much of the burden of that commitment, and that changes today,” Rutte said. “President Trump, dear Donald, you made this change possible. Your leadership on this has already produced $1 trillion in excess spending from European allies since 2016.”
“We will produce trillions more for our common defense to make us stronger and fairer by equalizing spending between America and America’s allies,” Rutte added.
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