Trump’s NATO shift cannot mask alliance’s deepening fault lines
ISTANBUL, July 10– Just hours after publicly berating European allies and questioning the North Atlantic…
ISTANBUL, July 10– Just hours after publicly berating European allies and questioning the North Atlantic Treaty Organization’s (NATO’s) cohesion at the alliance’s summit in Ankara, U.S. President Donald Trump closed the meeting on Wednesday by praising NATO’s “tremendous unity” and calling the summit a success.
The summit’s seemingly harmonious finale stood in sharp contrast to months of mounting transatlantic discord.
European governments had refused to send warships to support Washington’s effort to “reopen” the Strait of Hormuz during the Iran war, drawing sharp criticism from Trump and exposing widening differences over security priorities and the use of force.
The tensions were on full display as the summit opened. Upon arriving in the Turkish capital, Trump publicly criticized Italy, Germany and France for “turning us down,” saying he was “very disappointed” with NATO. He also revived his long-standing demand that Greenland should become part of the United States, despite Denmark’s repeated rejection of the idea.
The following day, Trump threatened to “cut off all trade” with Spain. Madrid recently declined to meet NATO’s new 5 percent gross domestic product (GDP) defense spending target and has refused to allow the United States to utilize its airspace or territory for operations during the war with Iran.
