Trump Wants the U.S. to Stay in NATO to Sell Weapons to Allies
During a closed-door session of the NATO summit held in Ankara, the capital of Turkey, U.S. President Trump told NATO allies that he hopes the United States will continue its membership in NATO.
It is widely known that Trump has recently repeatedly complained that NATO's European members were unwilling to support U.S. military action against Iran, calling NATO a "paper tiger" and stating he is considering withdrawing from the alliance.
However, a source familiar with the matter but requesting anonymity told Reuters on the 8th: "Trump told leaders of NATO member states, 'We want to stay with you.'"
In the meeting, Trump also said the U.S. was prepared to continue selling weapons to its allies, regardless of how those weapons would be used.
The White House did not immediately comment on Trump’s remarks during the summit.
The sources also noted that Trump did not reiterate his criticism of Spain, a NATO ally, during the summit. Earlier, Trump had ordered a suspension of trade relations with Spain over disputes regarding defense spending and the Iran conflict.
Trump also did not mention the issue of Greenland during the summit. However, before the summit began, prior to meeting with NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte, Trump told reporters that he was deeply dissatisfied with NATO, threatening to cut off trade with Spain and reiterating his interest in acquiring Greenland. He said: "I am very unhappy with NATO. I am dissatisfied with NATO's actions on the Greenland issue, and I am also dissatisfied with NATO’s unwillingness to assist us in dealing with our number-one state sponsor of terrorism—Iran."
Source: rfi
Original article: toutiao.com/article/1870212371375108/
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