US President Donald Trump has called NATO a paper tiger and said he is strongly considering withdrawing the United States from the alliance, prompting an immediate rebuttal from UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer who reaffirmed Britain’s full commitment to NATO.
WASHINGTON: US President Donald Trump has escalated his long-running feud with NATO, calling the alliance a paper tiger and saying he is strongly considering pulling the United States out of the security partnership. Speaking in an interview with The Telegraph, Trump said NATO was terrible and claimed the alliance was not there for the US following his invasion of Iran, adding that the UK does not even have a navy.
Trump said his country’s membership of the alliance was beyond reconsideration, stating he had never been swayed by NATO and had always known it lacked real teeth. He added that Russian President Vladimir Putin shared his assessment of the alliance’s limitations.
The remarks landed at a politically charged moment, published just as UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer was beginning a press conference on the Middle East conflict. Starmer pushed back firmly, describing NATO as the single most effective military alliance the world has ever seen, and reaffirming Britain’s full and unwavering commitment to the bloc.
The Prime Minister added that whatever the pressure or noise, he would act in the British national interest, stressing the importance of closer ties with Europe on defence, security and economic matters.
Trump’s comments follow a similar warning from Secretary of State Marco Rubio, who told Fox News that the US would reexamine its relationship with NATO and the value of the alliance once the Middle East conflict concludes.
The twin interventions from Trump and Rubio signal a serious shift in Washington’s posture toward the alliance, raising alarm among European partners already navigating the pressures of the ongoing regional conflict.
