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Trump ready to redesign US role in NATO: possible troop withdrawal and new balance

US president questions US commitment to the Atlantic Alliance and aims to mediate between Russia and Ukraine

Donald Trump and the United States seem ready to radically review their role in NATO. As the US president tries to mediate between Russia and Ukraine to end a conflict that has now lasted three years, a willingness to scale back the US commitment within the Atlantic Alliance is emerging.

According to the Swedish newspaper Expressen, the US has already notified its European allies that it will no longer participate in military exercises in Europe beyond those already planned for 2025. This decision, revealed by unspecified sources, also seems to affect manoeuvres being prepared in Sweden.

But Trump’s plan does not stop there. The British newspaper The Telegraph reported that the president is reportedly considering withdrawing some 35,000 American soldiers currently stationed in Germany, under NATO command, and transferring them to Hungary, a country that still maintains positive relations with Russia.

Already in the past months, Trump had raised doubts about the future of the US within NATO, stating that if the other members of the Alliance did not fulfil their defence spending commitments, the US might even abandon it. In recent statements from the Oval Office, the president reiterated his position: ‘If someone doesn’t pay, they don’t defend,’ referring to the investments required of NATO partners. Currently, not all countries meet the 2% of GDP threshold dedicated to defence, and Trump has called for an increase in the contribution from all members.

In an interview with Meet The Press on NBC, Trump reiterated that he would ‘absolutely’ consider leaving NATO if allies did not commit to paying their bills. This prospect is also stirring debate in the US media. In a CNN article, the question is raised as to whether NATO can survive without the US contribution, recalling that the US and Germany, with about 16% each, are the main financiers of the Alliance’s military and civilian budgets.

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