Trump seeks significant change in US involvement in NATO - Media

According to former high-ranking US officials, Trump is considering a significant change in the US role within the North Atlantic Alliance (NATO).

NBC News sources revealed that Trump has been discussing with his aides the possibility of adjusting the US level of involvement in NATO to prioritize countries that allocate a certain percentage of their GDP to defense.

Additionally, the US might refuse to protect a NATO ally in the event of an attack if that country fails to meet the required defense spending level.

The outlet notes that if Trump were to make such a decision, it would represent a "significant shift" from NATO's core principle - Article 5, which states that an attack on one NATO member is considered an attack on all.

"The President is similarly considering a policy change in which the US may choose to prioritize military exercises with NATO members that are spending the set percentage of their GDPs on defense," the agency quotes unnamed officials.

However, when asked about possible changes in the policy of US participation in NATO, a representative of the National Security Council said in a written statement: "President Trump is committed to NATO and Article V."

Defense spending

Trump has repeatedly criticized NATO countries for failing to meet the established goal of spending 2% of GDP on defense. He argued that such a disparity was unfair and placed an additional burden on the US. However, according to the Financial Times, he now demands an increase in defense spending to 5% of GDP.

Earlier, during his election campaign, Trump threatened not to defend alliance members with low defense budgets.

More than a decade ago, NATO countries agreed to set the defense spending target at 2% of GDP for each member. However, Trump insists on increasing it. Recently, he stated that NATO members should spend 5% of GDP on defense, even though the US is not currently meeting that threshold.