Trump Says U.S. May Not Defend NATO Allies Who Fail to Meet Spending Targets

Former U.S. President Donald Trump once said he would not guarantee protection for members of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization that fail to meet agreed defence spending commitments.

Trump made the remark during a campaign rally in 2024 while discussing defence contributions among NATO allies.

According to him, the United States should not be expected to defend countries that do not fulfil their financial obligations to the alliance.
“No, I would not protect you. In fact, I would encourage them (Russia) to do whatever the hell they want,” Trump said while describing a hypothetical scenario involving a NATO member that had not met its defence spending targets.

The comments sparked strong reactions across Europe and among security analysts, as NATO’s founding principle—under Article 5—states that an attack on one member is considered an attack on all.

Critics argued that such remarks could undermine the credibility of the alliance’s collective defence commitment, while supporters of Trump’s position said it highlighted the need for European members to increase their defence budgets.

The United States has long urged NATO allies to meet the alliance guideline of spending at least two per cent of their gross domestic product on defence.See more, details. .