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Donald Trump raises ‘doubt’ over NATO amid tension over Greenland, lashes out over Nobel denial again
Donald Trump's renewed threats to seize Greenland from NATO member Denmark have rattled the transatlantic alliance
US President Donald Trump on Wednesday lashed out at the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO), saying that he “doubts” that the alliance would be there for the US in times of need.
Trump, who has cast himself as a global peacemaker, also touched on a personal grievance.
“Remember, for all of those big NATO fans, they were at 2% GDP, and most weren’t paying their bills, UNTIL I CAME ALONG. The USA was, foolishly, paying for them! I, respectfully, got them to 5% GDP, AND THEY PAY, immediately. Everyone said that couldn’t be done, but it could, because, beyond all else, they are all my friends. Without my involvement, Russia would have ALL OF UKRAINE right now. Remember, also, I single-handedly ENDED 8 WARS, and Norway, a NATO Member, foolishly chose not to give me the Noble (Nobel) Peace Prize. But that doesn’t matter! What does matter is that I saved Millions of Lives,” Trump wrote in a Truth Social post, misspelling the name of the prestigious award that instead went to Venezuelan opposition leader Maria Corina Machado.
The Republican leader, whose renewed threats to seize Greenland from NATO member Denmark have rattled the transatlantic alliance, said he doubted allies would "be there for us if we really needed them."
"Russia and China have zero fear of NATO without the United States, and I doubt NATO will be there for us if we really needed them. Everyone is lucky that I rebuilt our military in our first term and continue to do so. We will always be there for NATO, even if they won't be there for us," Trump further wrote.
He has been particularly aggressive after the US operation in Venezuela resulted in the ‘capture’ of Nicolas Maduro.
It is worth noting that NATO's Article 5, the collective defence clause, has been invoked only once in the alliance's history, following the terrorist attacks on the United States on September 11, 2001.
Donald Trump's Greenland threats
Donald Trump's comments come a day after the White House said it was not ruling out military intervention to acquire Greenland.
Trump's designs on the mineral-rich, self-governing Danish territory of Greenland have raised alarm bells among European NATO members, who view such a move as an existential threat to the alliance.
Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen has warned Trump that any American “takeover” of Greenland would amount to the end of the NATO military alliance.
“If the United States chooses to attack another NATO country militarily, then everything stops. That is, including our NATO and thus the security that has been provided since the end of the Second World War,” Frederiksen told Danish broadcaster TV2.
Apart from Frederiksen, her Greenlandic counterpart, Jens Frederik Nielsen, blasted the US President's comments and warned of catastrophic consequences.
