US President Donald Trump plans to reform NATO to punish countries that have not increased defense spending to 5% of GDP. Among the proposals are limiting the voting rights of allies and depriving them of the ability to apply Article 5 of the alliance. This is reported by Sotsportal, according to the PromPolitInform portal.
US President Donald Trump is considering radical changes to the structure of NATO to punish countries that do not meet his requirements for defense financing. According to The Telegraph, citing sources, Trump wants to limit allies in decision-making and even deprive them of the right to apply Article 5 of the alliance if they do not increase defense spending to 5% of GDP.
According to the publication, the US president is also again discussing the possibility of withdrawing American troops from Germany – a step he has been considering since returning to the post of head of state. Sources explained to journalists: “Our disappointment in the Europeans is quite real. Any country that does not pay 5% should not be allowed to vote on future NATO spending.”
Under Trump’s proposals, states that do not meet the new target could be excluded from decisions on alliance expansion, joint missions and the use of Article 5 on mutual defense.
“You should not be able to vote on future funding if you do not pay,” the source said.
NATO officials confirmed to The Telegraph that no formal US proposals had yet been presented to the alliance’s headquarters in Brussels. However, the US has already pushed for a “pay-to-participate” model in discussion forums.
All alliance members currently spend at least 2% of GDP on defense, and Trump’s 5% target will be a key issue at a summit in Ankara later this year, NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte said.
