A Republican senator has broken ranks to criticize President Donald Trump's remarks about allied nations.
Trump has resumed his longstanding criticism of NATO, questioning the alliance's utility and threatening to withdraw U.S. support if member nations don't increase defense spending.
Jerry Moran (R-KS) urged unity with NATO members, with Trump consistently criticizing the intergovernmental organization for its lack of support for the United States' war in Iran.
Writing in The Hill, "Shared interests bind alliances together. The U.S. is stronger because of the willing and able partners in Europe with whom our global interests largely align. At a time when our nation’s own budgetary pressures and backlogged industrial base limit our ability to sustain force in multiple theaters simultaneously, we cannot afford to take them for granted. Indeed, we need them now more than ever and should treat them accordingly — as the valued allies they are."
Members of Trump's cabinet were also critical of NATO's refusal to back the bombing of Iran. Secretary of State Marco Rubio reinforced Trump's position by criticizing NATO for not backing the Iran war, suggesting the alliance lacks commitment to U.S. strategic interests.
However, Rubio simultaneously acknowledged NATO's crucial value, noting the alliance provides critical basing rights for U.S. military operations globally.
NATO allies have expressed significant concerns about Trump's unilateral decision to wage war against Iran without seeking alliance consultation or approval.
When Trump asked NATO for assistance, he was rebuffed by several member nations concerned about the legal justification for military action.
According to three European diplomats and a Pentagon official “familiar with the plan,” the list “includes an overview of members’ contributions to the alliance and places them into tiers,” and was drafted as a means to help the Trump administration look “for ways to punish allies who refused to back the Iran war,” Politico’s report reads.
“They don’t seem to have very concrete ideas… when it comes to punishing bad allies,” a European official told Politico on the condition of anonymity. “Moving troops is one option, but it mainly punishes the U.S. doesn’t it?”
