“NATO will not be there if we need it again”: the Trump oracle after the meeting with Rutte and the plan to reward countries, such as Greece, that helped the US

A caller connection astir his presumption connected NATO and the aboriginal of the North Atlantic Alliance was sent by Donald Trump aft his gathering connected Wednesday with Mark Rutte successful the shadiness of the Wall Street Journal’s study connected the White House’s program to punish and reward those who did oregon did not assistance successful the warfare with Iran.

“NATO wasn’t determination erstwhile we needed it, and it won’t beryllium determination if we request it again. Remember Greenland, that big, mismanaged chunk of ice!!! President DJT,” the US president wrote connected Truth Social aft the closed-door gathering with the NATO Secretary General, raising the thermometer connected the aboriginal of the alliance.

Adding substance to the occurrence successful his ain way, Route besides called the gathering with Trump “sincere” and told CNN that “it’s existent that not each European countries person kept these commitments. I afloat recognize that helium is disappointed astir that.”

The punishment and reward plan

Just hours earlier the Trump-Rutte meeting, the Wall Street Journal unearthed the US administration’s program to redeploy US troops wrong NATO to “punish” countries it believes person not adequately supported Washington and Tel Aviv successful the warfare with Iran.

The program calls for the transportation of US troops from North Atlantic Alliance subordinate states deemed “uncooperative” during the warfare cognition against Iran to countries that person shown greater enactment for the US subject run – including Greece, according to the US publication.

The connection is simply a important departure from Donald Trump’s threats of a afloat US withdrawal from NATO, which cannot beryllium carried retired without legislature approval.

The plan, which has been circulating wrong the medication successful caller weeks and appears to beryllium gathering enactment from elder officials, is inactive successful its aboriginal stages. It is 1 of the options the White House is considering to antagonistic the stance of immoderate European allies, illustrating the increasing disagreement betwixt Washington and European capitals pursuing Trump’s determination to spell to warfare with Iran.

The US maintains astir 84,000 troops connected European soil, with the fig changing depending connected subject exercises and periodic unit deployments. US bases successful Europe are a cardinal hub for US planetary subject operations, and lend to the economies of big countries done investment. The bases successful Eastern Europe besides enactment arsenic a deterrent against Russia.

The White House declined to remark connected the contents of the proposal, and it remains unclear which countries would beryllium affected. However, immoderate subordinate states person caused Trump’s displeasure since his instrumentality to power, peculiarly due to the fact that of their absorption to the warfare with Iran.

Spain – the lone NATO state that has not pledged to summation defence spending to 5 percent of GDP – has banned the usage of its airspace by U.S. craft progressive successful the cognition against Iran. At the aforesaid time, US medication officials person expressed displeasure with Germany, arsenic its apical officials person been captious of the war, contempt the state being 1 of the astir important hubs of enactment for US operations successful the Middle East.

Italy besides temporarily blocked the usage of a US aerial basal successful Sicily, portion France allowed the usage of a basal successful its confederate territory lone connected the information that craft not progressive successful attacks against Iran would onshore there.

In summation to redeploying troops, the program whitethorn besides see closing a US basal successful astatine slightest 1 European country, perchance Spain oregon Germany.

Conversely, countries considered much supportive – specified arsenic Poland, Romania, Lithuania, and Greece – whitethorn payment from a stronger US subject presence. Eastern European states, aft all, are among the highest-spending members of NATO and were among the archetypal to accidental they were consenting to enactment successful an planetary ngo to show the Strait of Hormuz.

After the warfare began, Romania typically instantly approved US requests to usage its bases by the US Air Force, the WSJ notes.