Since taking office as US President Donald trump repeatedly railing against NATO. In the past year, he is even said to have repeatedly considered leaving the Alliance. This is reported by the "New York Times". The paper refers to anonymous government sources.
Trump has brought a NATO exit in internal discussions with employees in the game, it says the article. For example, in the days surrounding the NATO summit in July, the US president said that he was unable to recognize the "sense" of the military alliance. This was to the detriment of the United States, Trump was quoted by the government officials according to the sheet.
The security team, including National Security Advisor John Bolton and now-retired Defense Secretary Jim Mattis, then rushed to stop Trump from questioning US membership in the alliance.
Trump had attacked many NATO partners at the summit in Brussels - because of what in his view far too low defense spending. But at the end of the meeting he made a commitment to the alliance: "I believe in NATO," he said.
However, current and former US officials fear, according to the New York Times, that Trump may once again flirt with an exit from the alliance, given what he believes remains insufficient defensive spending by partners.
The newspaper's report was released at a time when US President Vladimir Putin's relationship with Russian President Vladimir Putin is once again in the spotlight. To discuss NATO's US exit alone would be "the gift of the century" for Putin, former NATO commander in chief and retired US admiral James Stavridis told The New York Times.
The Washington Post reported on the weekend that Trump carefully concealed the contents of his confidential talks with Putin himself from close associates. In one case, the US president even took away the notes from his interpreter and forbade him to pass on the contents of the conversation.