Trump declines giving clear commitment to NATO’s article five
(MENAFN) While en route to the NATO summit in The Hague on Tuesday, U.S. President Donald Trump declined to clearly affirm the United States' commitment to Article 5, the alliance's foundational mutual defense clause. When asked about his stance, he replied, "depends on your definition, there's numerous definitions of Article Five. You know that, right?"
Pressed to clarify his position, Trump responded, "I'm committed to saving lives. I'm committed to life and safety, and I'm going to give you an exact definition when I get there. I just don't want to do it on the back of an airplane."
Trump shifted the conversation to defense spending within NATO, claiming that alliance members were not contributing sufficiently when he first engaged with them nearly a decade ago. “Seven of the 28 ... were paying their dues, but they weren't paying very much,” he said, asserting that NATO was “broke” at that time.
He took credit for what he described as a financial turnaround: “I said, you're gonna have to pay and we did a whole thing, and now they're paying a lot.”
Advocating for even higher defense investments, Trump suggested contributions should rise to “4% or 5%” of GDP, arguing that doing so would create “stronger peace, better peace” through enhanced unity and strength.
In response, NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte addressed Trump in a message Tuesday, noting that all member states had agreed to a 5% defense spending target.
Despite ambiguity around Article 5, Trump expressed support for NATO relationships, stating: “I'm committed to being their friends, and I become friends with many of those leaders.”
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