Trump Questions NATO's Article 5
(MENAFN) United States Leader Donald Trump refrained from offering a definitive commitment to NATO’s Article 5 mutual defense clause on Tuesday, stating that his position "depends on your definition" while en route to a NATO summit in The Hague.
When asked about his dedication to the clause, which requires member states to defend each other in the event of an attack, Trump responded, "It depends on your definition, there's numerous definitions of Article Five. You know that, right?"
When pressed further for clarity, Trump reiterated his focus on "saving lives" and affirmed his commitment to "life and safety," but declined to offer a precise explanation at that moment, saying, "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."
The president also discussed NATO's financial contributions, noting that when he first engaged with the alliance nine years ago, many members "weren't paying their dues."
According to Trump, "Seven of the 28 ... were paying their dues, but they weren't paying very much," and he described NATO as being "broke" at that time.
Taking credit for the increased financial contributions, Trump remarked, "I said, you're gonna have to pay and we did a whole thing, and now they're paying a lot."
He further advocated for even greater contributions, pushing for an increase to "4 percent or 5 percent" of GDP.
He argued that these higher payments would not only provide NATO with "much more power" but also foster "stronger peace, better peace" through greater unity.
In response, NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte informed Trump that all alliance members had agreed to a target of 5 percent defense spending.
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