Washington, United States
News Desk | Defense
President Donald Trump said on Wednesday that he is “absolutely” considering withdrawing the United States from NATO, telling Reuters he questioned whether he would come to the aid of European allies, as the alliance grapples with tensions over Iran and security in the Strait of Hormuz. NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte is scheduled to visit Washington next week for a “long-planned” trip, according to a NATO spokesperson, amid the dispute.
Trump escalated criticism of the alliance after European countries declined to send navies to help reopen the Strait of Hormuz following the start of an air war involving the United States and Israel on February 28, the report stated. In a speech Wednesday night, Trump criticized allies but stopped short of condemning NATO directly, the report said. When pressed on membership, the president said, “Oh yes, I would say [it’s] beyond reconsideration,” according to the Telegraph. Sen. Mark Warner, D-Va., responded that NATO has been the cornerstone of American national security for more than 70 years and called the withdrawal threat reckless.
France said on Wednesday that NATO is designed to ensure security in the Euro-Atlantic area and not to launch offensive operations in the Strait of Hormuz, after Trump said he was “absolutely” considering pulling the United States out of the alliance, Reuters reported. Junior Army Minister Alice Rufo told a conference in Paris that the alliance is not designed for operations in the strait and that Paris favors a plan to restore freedom of navigation by means “not of an offensive nature”.
Rutte’s Washington visit was first reported by the Wall Street Journal, a NATO spokesperson confirmed. Separately, NATO chief Mark Rutte will pay a two-day visit to Ankara on April 21 and 22 for talks with Turkish officials ahead of a key leaders’ summit in the Turkish capital on July 7-8, according to a statement. President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan said Turkey will host the NATO summit in Ankara in July, the post stated.
Operational activity continued alongside the political dispute. NATO fighter jets were scrambled to airspace close to the borders of the Baltic States to intercept a Russian aircraft breaching flight regulations, reports said on April 21. In the Arctic, Canadian Brigadier-General Daniel Riviere said this year’s military exercises proved the country can move specialized equipment for a land defense, while emphasizing that Canada’s partnership with the United States remains critical. On defense industry, Thales reported first-quarter sales of 5.32 billion euros, up 9.7% organically, driven by surging defense deliveries. France and Poland will build a telecommunications satellite for the Polish military, the companies said on Monday, as the two countries strengthen defense ties.
NATO is also adjusting its communications policy. Officials from three NATO countries told The Moscow Times that the alliance will stop disclosing details of weapons deliveries to Ukraine and could further restrict information related to defense planning to prevent Russia from gaining advance insight. A NATO source said statements by ministers have been closely analyzed on Russian television and framed in ways favorable to Moscow.
Analysts said the dispute places the alliance in a difficult position. “This is the worst place [NATO] has been since it was founded,” said Max Bergmann, who leads the Europe, Russia, and Eurasia Program at the Center for Strategic and International Studies. Congress voted at the end of 2023 to prohibit a president from unilaterally withdrawing from NATO without approval of a two-thirds Senate majority or an act of Congress, the report noted. The story is developing.
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