Donald Trump could skip NATO summit if allies don't act on spending: Report

Spiegel magazine, citing European diplomatic sources, reported that Germany, in particular, has been pressured to boost its defence spending.

Published on: May 2, 2025, 15:30:07 IST

By HT News Desk

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US President Donald Trump could skip the upcoming NATO summit if other members of the defence alliance do not act on burden-sharing, Reuters reported, citing local media.

US President Donald Trump delivers remarks to graduating students at the Coleman Coliseum at the University of Alabama on May 01, 2025 in Tuscaloosa, Alabama. (AFP)

Spiegel magazine, which cited European diplomatic sources, reported that Germany, in particular, has been pressured to boost its defence spending.

Last week,US defence secretary Pete Hegseth also discussed the issue with his German counterpart, Boris Pistorius.

Trump has rattled allies by threatening to only defend those he thinks are spending enough on defence as he pushes them to ramp up their military budgets.

Also Read | Donald Trump says ‘Crimea will stay with Russia’; dismisses Ukraine joining NATO

"It's common sense, right?" Trump had told reporters in the Oval Office in March. "If they don't pay, I'm not going to defend them. No, I'm not going to defend them."

According to AFP, his administration has also suggested that it could shift forces away from Europe to focus on threats elsewhere, like China.

The Trump administration's questions regarding NATO have raised questions about the transatlantic bloc, which has been the bedrock of European security for the past 75 years.

Also Read | NATO foreign ministers seek reassurance on US commitment to alliance

Last month, NATO chief Mark Rutte had played down Trump's remarks about NATO, saying that he has not undermined the alliance's Article Five collective defence pledge and said an American conventional presence would stay in Europe.

"The agenda is not for the US to leave NATO or to leave Europe, the US is here. They will pivot more towards Asia, so that might, over time, mean that they have to rebalance," Rutte said, according to AFP.

"But there is now and there will remain in Europe a nuclear and also a conventional presence of the United States."

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HT News Desk
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