Amid growing tensions between the United States and several European nations over the issue of Greenland, US President Donald Trump on Wednesday launched a scathing attack on NATO allies, claiming that the military alliance would be ineffective without the American leadership.
In a lengthy post on his Truth Social, Trump asserted that Russia and China would have “ZERO FEAR” of NATO if the US was not part of it.
“RUSSIA AND CHINA HAVE ZERO FEAR OF NATO WITHOUT THE UNITED STATES, AND I DOUBT NATO WOULD BE THERE FOR US IF WE REALLY NEEDED THEM. EVERYONE IS LUCKY THAT I REBUILT OUR MILITARY IN MY FIRST TERM, AND CONTINUE TO DO SO. We will always be there for NATO, even if they won’t be there for us. The only Nation that China and Russia fear and respect is the DJT (Donald J Trump) REBUILT U.S.A,” he said.
Trump claimed that most NATO members were not meeting their defence spending commitments before his presidency and that the US was “foolishly” paying their bills.
“Remember, for all of those big NATO fans, they were at 2% GDP, and most weren’t paying their bills, UNTIL I CAME ALONG. The USA was, foolishly, paying for them! I, respectfully, got them to 5% GDP, AND THEY PAY, immediately,” he said.
“Without my involvement, Russia would have all of Ukraine right now,” Trump wrote as he claimed to have “single-handedly ended eight wars” and saved millions of lives.
He also criticised Norway for not awarding him the Nobel Peace Prize, for which he campaigned relentlessly.
Trump reiterated his belief that the NATO allies would not defend the US but added, Washington will always be available for them.
Trump’s remarks came hours after the White House said that he was discussing “a range of options”, including the use of military, to acquire Greenland, a semi-autonomous region of Denmark, a fellow NATO member.
After the US operation in Venezuela last week, Trump had said that Washington needs Greenland for “national security” reasons.
“I will say this about Greenland – we need Greenland from a national security standpoint. It’s very strategic right now. Greenland is covered with Russian and Chinese ships all over the place,” Trump said on Monday.
His remarks drew sharp criticism from Denmark and several other European nations. In a joint statement, European leaders, including French President Emmanuel Macron, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, Poland Prime Prime Minister Donald, Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez, UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer and Denmark Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen, asserted that Greenland belongs to its people and that any decision of matters concerning the Arctic region will be taken by Greenland and Denmark.
“Greenland belongs to its people. It is for Denmark and Greenland, and them only, to decide on matters concerning Denmark and Greenland,” the European leaders said.
They also called on the United States to uphold the principles of the UN Charter, including sovereignty, territorial integrity and the inviolability of borders.
“These are universal principles, and we will not stop defending them,” they vowed.