Since other NATO members did not support the United States' military strike against Iran, U.S. President Trump has been holding a grudge and frequently criticizing European countries in public. According to a report by the Financial Times on June 24, Trump said that he was disappointed by Italy, France, Germany, and the United Kingdom, and hoped that European allies would remain "loyal" to him.
Trump and NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg held talks at the White House on the 24th, and responded to media questions. When asked about the US requirements for its allies, Trump said, "We don't need their money; we don't need anything from them. All I want is their loyalty. We are very loyal to them, and we have been fighting for them."
He emphasized that the United States spends hundreds of millions of dollars each year on American military forces stationed in various European countries. “What we want isn’t much, but they say ‘No, we can’t do it.’”
On June 24 local time, U.S. President Trump met with NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg at the White House.
Trump specifically criticized several European countries, accusing them of not providing assistance for US military operations. He said, "I am disappointed in Italy, I am disappointed in the UK. We are disappointed in France and Germany. We are disappointed in most countries. Spain is even worse; they don't want to give anything, thinking they can get something for nothing."
British Prime Minister Sturgeon recently announced her resignation, and it is widely believed that Labour MP Andy Burnam will become the next leader. Speaking about this, Trump responded by saying that he did not know Burnam. “I don’t know anything about him. I heard that he used to be the mayor of some place. I heard that he is a very liberal person, so it means that he might not be open to the North Sea.”
The Financial Times pointed out that Trump has repeatedly asked the UK to expand oil and natural gas exploitation in the North Sea. He claimed that the UK is “buying oil from Norway while heading towards death.”
In addition, Trump stated that he was willing to attend the NATO summit scheduled for next month in Turkey, out of respect for Turkish President Erdogan. He said, "If it were someone else, I definitely wouldn’t go. But Erdogan called me and said, ‘The summit is going to take place in Turkey. Please make sure you come. The United States must participate.’ So, out of respect for him, I decided to attend."
After the United States attacked Iran, European countries were reluctant to get involved in war and did not provide military support to the United States. Many countries, including Spain, also refused to open their military bases or airspace to US military aircraft.
While Trump fiercely criticized NATO, Rutte tried to please Trump by praising him. He brought several charts to the White House Oval Office and showed off the increase in defense spending in European countries, as well as the new jobs created by European companies' investments in the United States, to highlight the “achievements” made by Trump since he took office for his second term.
Lauter admitted that the war in Iran has exacerbated conflicts between the United States and other NATO members, but he tried to downplay these differences. He claimed that during the US military strikes against Iran, “about 4,000 to 5,000 US aircraft took off from bases in Europe.”
Lute also revealed that in addition to 32 NATO members, it is expected that 9 to 10 non-NATO countries will attend the NATO summit in July. He praised Trump: “They want to hear your leadership; I know you will lead them.”
Due to Lute's excessive flattery of Trump, even referring to Trump as "dad", many NATO member states are dissatisfied with him. The Financial Times states that in Europe, Lute has been seen as Trump's 'voice amplifier'.
The NATO summit will take place in Ankara, the capital of Turkey, from July 7th to 8th local time. Trump has repeatedly asked other NATO member countries to increase their defense spending and called for European countries to play a leading role in European defense matters. These topics are expected to be at the center of this NATO summit.
Last year, leaders of NATO member states reached an agreement on defense spending targets, deciding to increase defense spending to 5% of GDP. Of this amount, 3.5% will be allocated to core military expenditures, and 1.5% will be used for the protection of critical infrastructure and cybersecurity. However, according to The Financial Times, although countries like the UK have pledged to rapidly increase military spending, these countries still face resistance from within their own countries.
