President Donald Trump is expressing uncertainty that NATO would come to the U.S.’s defense if the country were attacked, though the alliance did just that after Sept. 11 — the only time in its history that the Article 5 defense guarantee has been invoked.
Vice President J.D. Vance and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth fanned out to European capitals this month delivering what Hegseth characterized as a "stark" message to America's treaty allies: "Now is the time to invest [in defense], because you can't make an assumption that America's presence will last forever."
Mistrust is shaking the core of NATO — there is growing concern among alliance members about the risks of intelligence sharing, and attempts by US President Donald Trump to improve relations with Russia have increased skepticism about such cooperation with Washington.
Military alliance members already had trouble trusting each other with classified information. It’s just got worse.
"Who can believe that in this context, Russia will stop at Ukraine?" the French president asked. "Russia has become, and will remain, a threat to France and Europe."