Trump threatens troop withdrawals if deal on Greenland isn’t struck
President Donald Trump emphasized his willingness to withdraw U.S. troops from Europe if allies do not support him on key issues, including backing the Iran war and U.S. control of Greenland. Speaking aboard Air Force One after the NATO summit in Turkey, he praised overall unity but criticized certain allies, notably Spain and Italy, for not doing enough militarily or financially, such as not meeting NATO defense spending requirements. Trump also expressed disappointment with NATO’s cooperation and hinted at potential troop reductions, citing changes in Europe’s geopolitical landscape and concerns over immigration and energy security. Additionally, he highlighted tensions over Greenland, suggesting negotiations depend on his commitments to Iran, and criticized European contributions to U.S. efforts in the region. The summit revealed mixed sentiments, with Trump signaling dissatisfaction while acknowledging some allies’ efforts, notably Spain’s recent cooperation.
President Donald Trump on Wednesday reminded Europe he is willing to withdraw U.S. troops protecting the region if it doesn’t back him on the “little things,” including supporting the war in Iran and U.S. control of Greenland.
Trump made the comments on Air Force One as he flew back to Washington from the “quite nice” NATO summit he attended with other world leaders this week in Turkey. The president praised “tremendous unity and togetherness” at the meeting but criticized some allies for not backing his agenda, a move he said could cost them defense support from the United States. The U.S. has already pulled back its military presence in Germany and Poland, stoking concern on the continent.
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“I haven’t made a final determination,” the president told reporters. “A lot’s going to depend on Greenland, and a lot, lot, I think [we can] make a very good deal in Greenland, and if we don’t, maybe I will. And a lot’s dependent on Iran.”
“I mean, they want to help now. It’s a little late. Essentially, there’s not that much fighting to be done, but some will depend on Iran,” Trump warned. “When they had a chance, an opportunity to help, they chose not to, so. But we’re sort of forgetting about that. And now they want to help. They all want to go in. They want to help, want to help on Iran so badly. But we don’t really need help. It’s little things. But we don’t really need help.”
The president has long targeted allies such as Spain and Italy for not doing more to support the war in Iran, particularly after both countries refused to allow the U.S. unlimited access to their air bases and airspace to facilitate the Pentagon’s military efforts against Iran. On Spain, Trump expressed particular ire Wednesday morning that it has refused to meet NATO’s requirement that member nations spend at least 5% of their gross domestic product on defense.
However, by Wednesday evening, Trump struck a softer note, revealing that “Spain was very generous today.”
“Spain, they came back all the way today,” he said on Air Force One. “They honored the request for lots of payment, and if they didn’t, we wouldn’t even talk to them. They were very bad. They behaved very badly, in my opinion,” the president said. “But there was great unity in that room today. The NATO room was pretty much, pretty amazing. There was something very good about it.”
The president previously threatened to pull U.S. troops out of Europe on Tuesday when he expressed anger that Europe hasn’t been more supportive of his efforts to put Greenland under U.S. control despite receiving assistance from Washington in Ukraine’s war against Russia. Greenland is a territory under Denmark’s control, but Trump has long raised fears that the Danish authorities lack sufficient power to protect the strategically important Arctic territory from Chinese or Russian invasion, sparking intense criticism from Denmark.
When pressed on whether he would back more troop drawdowns from Europe, Trump said, “We’re going to see. I was very disappointed with NATO.”
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TRUMP SIGNALS DISAPPOINTMENT WITH NATO WHILE TOUTING RELATIONSHIP WITH TURKEY
“We weren’t treated well because we did something in Iran. We don’t need anybody’s help. I didn’t even want their help. But before I asked, they said they wouldn’t be there,” Trump lamented. “Why are we spending hundreds of billions of dollars if they’re not there for us? We’ve always been there for them.”
“With all the money we spend to help them with Russia … we don’t have to spend any money,” he added. “We can remove all of our soldiers out of Europe, because, as you probably noticed, Europe is a very different place than it was 20 years ago, lot different, much different, much different, and they better be careful with immigration and energy. If they’re not careful with those two things, you’re not going to have a Europe anymore.”
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