The White House is reportedly considering ways to punish members of the NATO (North Atlantic Treaty Organization) alliance that US President Donald Trump believes were unhelpful in supporting the US and Israel during the Iran war.
The proposal would involve removing US troops from NATO countries deemed unhelpful and stationing them in countries that were more supportive. This proposal comes after Trump’s threat to fully withdraw the US from the alliance which by law he can’t do without Congress.
NATO members including Spain, Germany, Italy, and France, have clashed with Trump since his return to power and have recently angered him by criticising or refusing to support the Iran war. Whereas countries viewed as supportive such as Greece, Poland, Romania and Lithuania, could benefit from this proposal.
Trump has been openly and frequently critical of NATO countries and their unwillingness to support since the start of the conflict. He says it is “a mark on NATO that will never disappear.”
Senior European officials argue they were never consulted on the war which made it difficult to coordinate a military response in the initial days of the conflict.
The proposal is still in its early stages and is one of several ideas aimed at retaliating against NATO. The discussions highlight increasing tensions between the Trump administration and its European allies, especially after the president’s decision to initiate conflict with Iran.
White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said, “It’s quite sad that NATO turned their backs on the American people over the last six weeks when it’s the American people who have been funding their defence.”
There are approximately 84,000 US troops stationed across Europe which serve as an integral hub of global US military operations. It has yet to be confirmed which countries would have their troops removed.
Source: The Wall Street Journal