Trump says U.S. considers withdrawing from NATO
According to Ukrinform, he made these remarks in an interview with the British newspaper The Telegraph.
Trump called the alliance a “paper tiger” and stated that the U.S. withdrawal from the defense alliance is “beyond reconsideration.” He noted that he has long had doubts about NATO’s reliability.
“Oh yes, I would say [it’s] beyond reconsideration. I was never swayed by NATO. I always knew they were a paper tiger, and Putin knows that too, by the way,” Trump said this when asked if he would reconsider U.S. membership in the alliance following the conflict in the Middle East.
Commenting on the reaction of European partners, Trump noted: “Beyond not being there, it was actually hard to believe.” He added that he did not put strong pressure on allies to help the U.S. in the war against Iran, saying: “I just said, ‘Hey’, you know, I didn’t insist too much. I just think it should be automatic.”
He noted that Washington had “automatically” assisted in other conflicts, citing its role in mediating a ceasefire between Ukraine and Russia.
“Ukraine wasn’t our problem. It was a test, and we were there for them, and we would always have been there for them. They weren’t there for us,” Trump said.
As reported by Ukrinform, the day before, Secretary of War Pete Hegseth refused to confirm the United States’ commitment to NATO’s collective defense, stating that the decision would be made by U.S. President Donald Trump.
Photo: The White House
