Trump to NATO allies: increase defense spending, or …

WASHINGTON: President Trump wrote rough letters to leaders of several NATO allies – including Germany, Belgium, Norway, and Canada – accusing them of not spending enough to their defense and warning that the United States is losing patience what he said was their inability to meet the security obligations shared by the alliance.

The letters, sent out in June, are the latest sign of acrimony between Trump and his American allies as he heads for a summit of NATO next week in Brussels.

In the letters, Trump hinted that, as the allies have not done enough to share the burden of collective defense, he might consider an answer, including adjusting the US military presence in the world.

"The United States continues to devote more resources to the defense of Europe … This is no longer viable for us," Trump wrote to German Chancellor Angela Merkel, according to a report. person who saw it. Belgian Prime Minister Charles Michel reacted to the letter last week, saying at a summit in the EU that he was "not very impressed" by this report, according to a report by Deutsche Welle. NYT