\n\u201cI was never swayed \u2060by NATO. I always knew they were a paper \u2060tiger, and [Russian President Vladimir] Putin knows that too, by the way,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n
For decades, NATO has been a cornerstone of U.S. foreign policy, binding the United States, Canada, and most major European nations to a collective defense agreement against external threats.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
During both of his terms, Trump has pressured NATO members to increase defense spending. Last year, he shifted the financial burden of U.S. weapons sent to Ukraine\u2014though not a NATO member\u2014onto allied nations to sustain Kyiv\u2019s resistance against Russian forces.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Any move to withdraw the U.S. from NATO would likely face strong bipartisan opposition. However, unilateral presidential withdrawal from international agreements has become more common, and Trump has previously exited treaties, including those related to climate change and arms control.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
In 2023, former President Joe Biden signed legislation coauthored by then-Sen. Marco Rubio\u2014now Trump\u2019s secretary of state\u2014requiring congressional approval before any U.S. withdrawal from NATO. Trump could challenge that law, arguing it unconstitutionally limits presidential authority over military and diplomatic matters, a position his team has taken in other cases.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The Senate originally ratified the NATO treaty in 1949 at the outset of the Cold War, and the alliance has remained a central counterweight to Russia\u2019s influence in Eastern Europe.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
NATO members include the United Kingdom, France, Spain, Italy, Poland, and Turkey. The alliance expanded eastward after the Cold War, adding Poland in 1999 and Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania in 2004, bringing NATO to Russia\u2019s borders.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Tensions between the U.S. and its allies have intensified over the Iran conflict. Spain barred U.S. use of the jointly operated Rota naval base and Mor\u00f3n air base last month and, on Monday, closed its airspace to American warplanes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The United Kingdom \u201ctook far too much time\u201d to approve U.S. use of its air bases and the Diego Garcia facility in the Indian Ocean, Trump said last month.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Italy also denied U.S. military aircraft permission to land at its Sigonella air base in Sicily on Tuesday.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Meanwhile, Germany criticized Trump for launching strikes against Iran without consulting NATO partners, and French President Emmanuel Macron stated, \u201cFrance will never take part in operations to open or liberate the Strait of Hormuz.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n