US President Donald Trump has said it is “ridiculous” for the United States to continue what he called a “one sided” relationship with NATO. The remark, shared on Truth Social, came less than a week before a summit of the military alliance in Turkey.
In a post on his Truth Social platform, Trump wrote that “They were not there for us!!!” He also claimed that Washington’s relationship with NATO “is not reciprocal”.
Trump has repeatedly criticised European allies over their response to the war in Iran. He has pointed out that several countries restricted the use of their military bases for US forces during the conflict. Trump has also said Europe should take greater responsibility for its own defence, while the US has already started reducing some of its military commitments.
Trump shares defence spending chart
Along with his post, Trump shared a chart comparing defence spending among NATO members. The chart showed the US defence budget at $999 billion, much higher than the United Kingdom ($90.5 billion), France ($66.5 billion), Italy ($48.8 billion) and Poland ($44.3 billion).
The chart shows Trump’s long-standing argument that the United States spends much more on defence than its European allies and carries a larger share of NATO’s security burden. However, these figures represent each country’s total national defence budget, not direct payments to NATO. The US defence budget also covers military operations and commitments around the world, not just those linked to the alliance.
Trump questions NATO’s support
In another Truth Social post, Trump questioned the value of the alliance for the United States. He wrote: “The United States has been informed by most of our NATO ‘Allies’ that they don’t want to have anything to do with the lunatic nation, now known as IRAN… NATO wasn’t there for us.” Trump argued that the United States had spent hundreds of billions of dollars protecting its allies while receiving too little support in return.
NATO members increase defence spending
Trump’s comments have once again brought attention to the long-running debate over defence spending within NATO. Last year, under pressure from Trump, NATO leaders agreed to raise defence-related spending to 5% of GDP by 2035.
According to the US Mission to NATO, European allies and Canada have significantly increased their defence spending since 2014, adding hundreds of billions of dollars in annual defence investment. The mission said these investments have strengthened NATO’s ability to deter threats while also supporting the US defence industry through increased procurement and joint military projects. It added that higher defence spending by allies benefits both European security and American jobs. US Secretary of State Marco Rubio has also said that Trump is disappointed that NATO allies refused to play a bigger role in military action against Iran.
Germany’s role praised
Trump’s remarks came as NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte praised Germany’s growing role in the alliance during a visit to Berlin. According to NATO, Rutte said Germany has taken a leading role in strengthening the alliance through higher defence spending and improved military capabilities. He described Germany as central to NATO’s collective security and said allies must continue investing in defence as they face an increasingly challenging security environment.
Iran tensions add pressure
The debate over NATO’s role has increased following the recent US-Israeli strikes on Iran. Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni denied that US forces used Italian military bases during the operation after comments by Rutte sparked political controversy. Iran later accused NATO of being complicit after the Secretary General acknowledged allied support for the US operation, adding to diplomatic tensions between Tehran and the alliance.