That is the core idea behind NATO鈥檚 Article 5 collective defense guarantee, and yet, Trump doesn鈥檛 buy into it. 鈥淭here鈥檚 numerous definitions of Article 5,鈥 he told reporters on his way to the summit. 鈥淵ou know that, right? But I鈥檓 committed to being their friends.鈥
In reality, however, its definition is clear: 鈥淎n armed attack against one or more of them in Europe or North America shall be considered an attack against them all.鈥 And so far, it鈥檚 been invoked precisely once 鈥 after the 9/11 terrorist attacks against the U.S., leading every single ally to deploy troops and capabilities to Afghanistan, many for well over a decade.
Being a friend is one thing, being a real ally another. The latter is what matters in international politics, and America鈥檚 NATO allies are as worried about Trump not understanding this as they are about Russia.
That is why they agreed to spend so much more on defense 鈥 5 percent of GDP, including 3.5 percent on core defense capabilities, nearly double the current 2 percent mark.
European allies and Canada have all come to understand they can no longer count on the U.S. for their security and defense. As U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth told them in February: 鈥淪tark strategic realities prevent the United States of America from being primarily focused on the security of Europe.鈥
Moreover, while claiming victory over the 5 percent target, Trump made clear the U.S. would exempt itself from it. 鈥淲e鈥檝e been supporting NATO so long,鈥 he said, when asked about the new requirement. 鈥淪o, I don鈥檛 think we should, but I think that the NATO countries should, absolutely.鈥