US Won't Protect Nato If It Doesn't Pay Enough For Own Defence: Trump

Remarks Set To Alarm Nations Already On Edge Over US Aid Withdrawal For Ukraine

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US President Donald Trump cast doubt on March 6 on his willingness to defend Washington's Nato allies, saying he would not do so if they are not paying enough for their own defence. "It is common sense, right?" he told reporters in the Oval Office. "If they don't pay, I am not going to defend them. No, I am not going to defend them."

Mr Trump said he has been of this view for years, and shared it with Nato allies during his 2017-2021 presidential term.

Those efforts prompted more spending from other members of the 75-year-old transatlantic alliance, he said, but "even now, it is not enough". "They should be paying more," he added.

A mutual assistance clause lies at the heart of the Nato alliance, which was formed in 1949 with the primary aim of countering the risk of a Soviet attack on allied territory.

Mr Trump's remarks could trigger alarm bells in capitals from Europe to Asia, where leaders were already worried about a withdrawal of US security support after Mr Trump clashed with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and showed greater willingness to deal with Russian President Vladimir Putin.