NATO countries agreed that 2% of GDP should be spent on defence. Trump implied that the United States, under his leadership, would not come to the aid of allies who fail to meet NATO standards. NATO's most important article states that members will always help each other if one of them is attacked.
Borrell said: “NATO agreements are not a list to choose from according to the mood of the American president.” The European Union is a separate organization from NATO. But many European countries are members of both organizations.
The European Union Foreign Minister joined the White House and NATO Chief Jens Stoltenberg. They strongly criticized Trump for his statements.
A White House spokesman said on Sunday that “encouraging the invasion of our closest allies by murderous regimes is reprehensible and disturbing.” Stoltenberg warned that Trump's proposal undermines the security of the alliance.
Trump has already criticized NATO during his presidency. Members have agreed to spend 2% of their GDP on defence, but not all member states achieve this. Trump even threatened to withdraw the United States from the organization if other countries no longer meet that threshold.
