United States President Donald Trump said Thursday it is "ridiculous" for the United States to continue its "one-sided" relationship with NATO, less than a week before a NATO summit in Ankara.
Trump wrote on his Truth Social platform: "They were not there for us!!!" and Washington's relationship with NATO "is not reciprocal."
Trump has repeatedly lashed out at European allies over their response to the war in Iran.
Trump also insists he wants Europe to take the lead role for its own defence, and Washington has already moved to scale back commitments.
His Truth Social post on Thursday included a chart showing NATO spending, with the United States investing vastly more than the other member states depicted.
Under pressure from Trump, NATO leaders agreed at a gathering last year to boost defence spending to 5% of GDP by 2035.
The upcoming NATO summit, which will bring together 32 member states, will be held in the Turkish capital on July 7-8.
The alliance, founded in 1949, became a US-led defence force credited with maintaining stability in Europe, keeping the Soviet Union at bay and solidifying Washington as a world power for decades to come.
Our journalists are working on this story and will update it as soon as more information becomes available.
