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Amid the ongoing tussle between the United States and its allies, US President Donald Trump said that he is "very disappointed" with NATO on Sunday, accusing the group of not showing support. The remarks from the American leader came just hours after he faced a major security threat at the White House Correspondents' Dinner.
In an interview with Fox News, Trump emphasised how the United States have been pouring billions of dollars into the alliance. "I am very, very disappointed in NATO because they weren't there. You know, we spend trillions of dollars on NATO in order to protect Europe from Russia--and we've always been there... They can't do it without us," he told Fox News on Sunday.
The Trump administration has been dismayed by the Western alliances' reluctance to support the United States during the war in Iran or any controversial policies pushed by Trump. In the same interview, Trump shifted his focus to Iran as well.
In the same interview, Trump also shared his take on the ongoing war in Iran. He repeated his assertion that the United States currently has a "big advantage" as the talks between the two sides face major roadblocks.
"I think the big advantage is that we’ve taken out their navy in its entirety. We’ve taken out of their air force... they’re really in bad shape. And, of course, we’ve done the blockade, and the blockade's been unbelievably effective," he said.
Ever since returning to the White House, Trump has been putting immense pressure on Nato member states to increase their defence spending. However, things became worse after several Nato nations expressed reluctance to join the US or provide their bases to Washington for its war in Iran.
In the midst of this, a Pentagon email made headlines with the United States Department of Defence laying out potential measures Washington could take against NATO allies it believes have not sufficiently supported its war on Iran. The measure included suspension of Spain's membership in NATO.
The email alleged that a " sense of entitlement on the part of the Europeans”, and was intended as a signal to NATO partners, officials told Reuters. It is pertient to note that suspending Spain from the bloc would carry symbolic weight with little operational consequence to the US military.
In an interview with Fox News, Trump emphasised how the United States have been pouring billions of dollars into the alliance. "I am very, very disappointed in NATO because they weren't there. You know, we spend trillions of dollars on NATO in order to protect Europe from Russia--and we've always been there... They can't do it without us," he told Fox News on Sunday.
The Trump administration has been dismayed by the Western alliances' reluctance to support the United States during the war in Iran or any controversial policies pushed by Trump. In the same interview, Trump shifted his focus to Iran as well.
In the same interview, Trump also shared his take on the ongoing war in Iran. He repeated his assertion that the United States currently has a "big advantage" as the talks between the two sides face major roadblocks.
"I think the big advantage is that we’ve taken out their navy in its entirety. We’ve taken out of their air force... they’re really in bad shape. And, of course, we’ve done the blockade, and the blockade's been unbelievably effective," he said.
The tussle between the US and Nato
Ever since returning to the White House, Trump has been putting immense pressure on Nato member states to increase their defence spending. However, things became worse after several Nato nations expressed reluctance to join the US or provide their bases to Washington for its war in Iran.
In the midst of this, a Pentagon email made headlines with the United States Department of Defence laying out potential measures Washington could take against NATO allies it believes have not sufficiently supported its war on Iran. The measure included suspension of Spain's membership in NATO.
The email alleged that a " sense of entitlement on the part of the Europeans”, and was intended as a signal to NATO partners, officials told Reuters. It is pertient to note that suspending Spain from the bloc would carry symbolic weight with little operational consequence to the US military.
