US President Donald Trump has expressed his support for NATO’s collective defense, a direct contrast to the criticism he voiced when he returned to power in 2024.
The BBC asked the US president if he still thought the alliance was “obsolete,” as he had previously said. Trump replied, “NATO is now becoming the opposite of that.” He further stated that members of the alliance were now responsible for covering their own expenses.
NATO includes 30 European countries, and Trump called on those members to increase their defense spending and contribute a larger share of the alliance’s budget.
Why It Matters
In February 2024, the president hinted that the United States would pull out of the bloc and said he would “encourage” Russia to attack any member that fails to spend 2% of their GDP on defense.
But Trump’s comments appear to indicate he is warming to the alliance, following members pledging to spend more at a summit in The Hague, Netherlands, in June and the US president’s increasingly harsh criticism of Russian President Vladimir Putin, considered NATO’s biggest threat.
What To Know
In an interview with the BBC on July 15, Trump said that he believes in collective defense because it means that weaker nations can defend themselves by standing up to stronger nations.
Trump has previously attacked NATO as “obsolete,” but in the current interview he said that it is becoming the opposite because members are spending more on defense.
The US president’s latest comments come after a NATO summit in June, where he received a warm welcome from Mark Rutte, the current 14th Secretary General of the alliance. Rutte is in Washington this week to meet with the President of the United States and senior officials.
President Trump has announced a preliminary agreement with NATO (North Atlantic Treaty Organization) members to allow them to buy US-made weapons and send them to Ukraine, according to Newsweek.
On Monday, July 14, Rutte said that NATO would cover the cost of US-made weapons for Ukraine, with the bloc’s European members confirming their growing role in supporting Ukraine, according to Ukrainian outlet Ukrinform.
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Newsweek reported that the war Putin started was a key focus of the BBC interview, which came after President Trump announced plans to send weapons to Ukraine and threatened to impose tough tariffs on Russia if a ceasefire was not reached within 50 days.
In the interview, Trump said about Putin, “I’m disappointed in him, but I’m not done with him. But I’m disappointed in him.”
NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte said on Monday, July 14, “You [Donald Trump] called me on Thursday and said that you had taken a decision. The decision is that you want Ukraine to have what it needs, to be able to defend itself against Russia.”
Newsweek’s reporting contributed to this article.