“U.S. allies are bracing for unpleasant surprises at NATO’s annual summit in Ankara on July 7-8. President Donald Trump is still smarting from Europe’s reluctance to support his war in Iran, and has questioned why the U.S. should continue to defend the continent when allies don’t reciprocate by supporting American interests,” Bloomberg reports.
“It’s unlikely that Trump could unilaterally terminate U.S. membership of the military alliance that’s shielded Europe’s democracies through the Cold War and ever since.”
“But the very foundation of NATO deterrence is that if one member is attacked, America’s mighty military will rush to its aid. The fear in European capitals is that Trump will slash the U.S. armed presence in the region quicker than they can rebuild their own depleted militaries, leaving them perilously exposed if Russian President Vladimir Putin decides to attack another country after Ukraine.”
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