Germany rejects Trump’s demands for NATO loyalty to Washington

Photo: publics

German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius pushed back against calls by US President Donald Trump that European allies within NATO should be unconditionally loyal to Washington.

“NATO is not about blind obedience,” Pistorius told Der Spiegel magazine in an interview published on Thursday. “Decisions within NATO are taken by free consensus of all member states, and without being dictated by individual member states.”

Pistorius said he did not expect any further criticism from the US directed at Germany during the NATO summit in Turkey next week, after a spat between German Chancellor Friedrich Merz and Trump over the US strategy in the Iran war.

The US has floated the idea of granting political and economic benefits to NATO allies that spend more on defense, raising the prospect of a two-tier alliance.

The idea speaks to ongoing tensions within the North Atlantic Treaty Organization, as Trump pressures European allies to assume more of the military alliance’s funding burden. European leaders have been broadly receptive, but are anxious about Trump ending US security commitments to the continent.

Washington has rattled allies in recent months with shifting announcements about pulling troops and resources from Europe. Already, the US has said it will withdraw 5,000 troops from Europe and slash the military assets Washington would provide in a crisis.

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