At a time when NATO leaders are preparing to hold their summit in Turkey next Tuesday and Wednesday, US President Donald Trump has escalated his criticism of the alliance, reiterating his assertion that the United States bears the largest financial burden without receiving benefits commensurate with the size of its contribution.
Trump said that NATO “did not bring much benefit” to his country, in statements that once again raised European countries’ concerns about the possibility of reducing the American role within the alliance.
Simultaneously, Reuters revealed, citing an informed source, that Washington is preparing to reduce part of its forces and military equipment allocated to NATO, in a move that reinforces European fears of a decline in American commitment to collective defense.
According to the source, the number of American fighters allocated to the alliance will be reduced by about a third to 99 aircraft, the number of unmanned aircraft will also be reduced to 12, while the number of refueling aircraft will decrease to 63 aircraft.
The source added that the United States will also reduce the number of strategic bombers and destroyers by half, leaving only 9 destroyers. It will also allocate one aircraft carrier to the alliance, in exchange for withdrawing the only submarine capable of carrying cruise missiles.
In the same context, former German Foreign Minister Joschka Fischer expressed his pessimism about the future of the relationship between Washington and NATO, considering that the United States is “on its way out” of NATO.
Fisher called on European countries to prepare for the possibility of the alliance continuing without the United States, proposing the establishment of a European nuclear deterrent umbrella based on the nuclear capabilities of France and Britain.
Türkiye is scheduled to host the NATO summit starting next Tuesday, with the participation of leaders of member states, in the first visit of US President Donald Trump to Ankara since his return to the White House.
These developments come at a time when NATO faces increasing challenges related to the future of the United States’ commitment to European security, an issue that has long been a major focus of Trump’s positions, who has been calling for years to increase member states’ contributions to the defense budget. Observers believe that any additional reduction in the American military presence may push European countries to accelerate their plans to enhance their defense capabilities and reduce their dependence on the American security umbrella, a file that is expected to dominate the discussions of the upcoming Ankara summit.
