NPR

In NATO Speech, Trump Scolds Leaders But Doesn't Recommit To Defense Pledge

At a dedication for two memorials, President Trump told gathered NATO leaders that it was "not fair" to U.S. taxpayers for NATO countries to spend less than they pledged on their own national defense.
President Donald Trump and British Prime Minister Theresa May await a photo opportunity at a NATO summit meeting in Brussels on Thursday. / DAN KITWOOD / Getty Images

At a NATO summit in Brussels, President Trump marked the unveiling of memorials of the Berlin Wall and the Sept. 11 attacks with a speech that, among other things, told gathered NATO leaders their levels of defense funding are "not fair" to U.S. taxpayers.

Trump also omitted any clear statement of support for Article 5, the NATO mutual-defense pledge — something other leaders had been hoping to hear.

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