Mr. Trump warned NATO before the summit

“It’s unreasonable for the US to continue to maintain a one-way relationship, this is not a type of reciprocity. NATO has not stood with us,” President Donald Trump posted on the social network Truth Social on July 2.

His post included a chart of NATO member countries’ defense spending, showing that the US is far ahead of many other countries. The chart does not show over what time period this spending is calculated.

The US leader’s warning was issued less than a week before the NATO summit in Türkiye. President Trump is expected to attend this event.

President Trump has repeatedly criticized European allies for their response to the Middle East conflict, because some countries banned the US military from using bases on their territory to serve the campaign against Iran. He also repeatedly affirmed that Europe needs to take on a leading role in ensuring its own security, while Washington has begun to scale back its defense commitments.

Under pressure from Mr. Trump, NATO leaders last year agreed to increase defense-related spending to 5% of GDP by 2035.

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said President Trump was disappointed that NATO allies refused to participate more actively in the campaign to attack Iran. Speaking at a meeting with NATO foreign ministers in May, Mr. Rubio expressed confidence that disagreements would be discussed at the summit in Türkiye, saying this would be “one of the most important conferences” in the alliance’s 77-year history.

“The US President’s views, or frankly his disappointment, towards some NATO allies and their reactions to our campaign in the Middle East have been expressed very clearly. This issue will have to be resolved,” Mr. Rubio said.

The NATO Summit will take place in the Turkish capital Ankara on July 7-8, with the participation of representatives of 32 member countries.