President Donald Trump has tried to reassure NATO allies over the commitment of the United States to the alliance, after previously suggesting that the military alliance\u2019s collective defence principle was open to interpretation.<\/p>\n
Trump arrived in The Hague on Wednesday to meet 31 other NATO leaders at a summit focused on plans to boost defence spending to shore up the US commitment to the alliance.<\/p>\n
Asked by reporters about his commitment to NATO\u2019s Article 5, which holds that an attack on one member is treated as an attack on all, he said: \u201cWe\u2019re with them all the way.\u201d<\/p>\n
Sitting alongside NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte before the summit, Trump said the expected agreement for allies to increase defence spending to 5 percent of gross domestic product (GDP) would be a \u201cgreat victory for everybody\u201d.<\/p>\n
The comments came after Trump stoked doubts over his commitment to the alliance when asked whether Washington would abide by NATO\u2019s mutual defence guarantees.<\/p>\n
\u201cDepends on your definition,\u201d Trump told reporters<\/a> on his way to The Hague. \u201cThere\u2019s numerous definitions of Article 5. You know that, right? But I\u2019m committed to being their friends.\u201d<\/p>\n Rutte<\/a> had earlier stressed that Washington was \u201ctotally committed to the alliance\u201d.<\/p>\n \u201cThere is absolute clarity that the United States is totally committed to NATO, totally committed to Article 5,\u201d he said, referring to the cornerstone collective defence principle enshrined in NATO\u2019s founding treaty, which holds that an attack on one member is treated as an attack on all.<\/p>\n \u201cAnd yes, there is also an expectation, which will be fulfilled today, that the Canadians and the Europeans will speed up their spending, making sure that we are able to defend ourselves against the Russians and others,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n He expected the summit to be \u201ctransformational\u201d for the alliance, he added.<\/p>\n US\u2019s \u2018problem with Spain\u2019<\/p>\n Trump has repeatedly complained that Washington carries too much of the military burden and questioned whether the alliance should defend members who failed to meet its defence spending targets.<\/p>\n His administration has demanded that NATO allies agree to increase their defence spending to 5 percent of their GDP, up from the current target of 2 percent.<\/p>\n Nine NATO members currently spend less than the existing 2 percent target on defence, according to NATO estimates (PDF<\/a>).<\/p>\n In response to the US demands to boost defence spending, some NATO countries, like Germany and the United Kingdom, have already announced substantial new investments in their militaries, acknowledging the need to respond to the threat posed by Russia, in particular.<\/p>\n