Donald Trump has once again lambasted defence spending by the United Kingdom and other European allies, just days before a NATO summit in Ankara, Turkey. The US president took to Truth Social to post a detailed comparison of military expenditures, claiming the United States is bearing an unfair burden.
Trump's Truth Social post highlights spending disparities
In his post, Trump wrote: “The United States spends more money on NATO than any other country, by far, to protect them, without getting any benefit from so doing: US 999 Billion Dollars, United Kingdom, 90.5 Billion Dollars, France, 66.5 Billion Dollars, Italy, 48.8 Billion Dollars, Poland, 44.3 Billion Dollars. Others, including Germany, are MUCH LOWER. (2014-2025) Ridiculous!” He also shared 2025 defence spending estimates showing US funding at £733 billion, compared to £455 billion from all other members combined.
He later posted: “Ridiculous for the U.S.A. to continue along this one-sided path when the relationship is not reciprocal. They were not there for us!!! President DJT.” The president used national military funding figures to renew his charge that America is bankrolling other countries' protection without reciprocal benefit.
UK responds amid tensions over Greenland and Iran
In response, Britain’s top diplomat in Washington, Sir Christian Turner, said the UK had heard Trump’s call and was “putting our money where our mouth is.” Writing in the New York Post, Sir Christian acknowledged: “President Donald Trump has been consistent, and he is correct: America’s allies must do more for their own defence and for our collective security.” He also noted that as America approaches its 250th independence anniversary on July 4, what began as a bitter conflict had been “forged into the deepest, closest alliance between any two nations,” adding that “a stronger Britain means a stronger NATO, and a stronger NATO means a more secure America.”
The president’s latest sabre-rattling comes ahead of next week’s NATO leaders meeting in Ankara, Turkey. Tensions over defence funding have been further fuelled by Trump’s designs on Greenland, which belongs to fellow NATO member Denmark, and the response of allies – including Britain – to the Iran war. Last month, US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth announced a review of American military forces in Europe, questioning whether some members were meeting their spending commitments.
UK defence spending plans and calls for clarity
UK Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer has already announced plans to hike defence spending by £15 billion, but Downing Street has not specified where the required cuts will come from. Former defence secretary John Healey, who quit in protest at the level of extra military funding, said even with the increase, the UK would be spending 2.7% of economic output on defence by 2030. He stressed the need to “develop a clear, credible funding plan” to ensure the UK meets its NATO commitment to spend 3.5% of GDP by 2035.
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said last month that the upcoming NATO summit would probably be the most important in its history, with issues “that need to be cleared up and fixed.” The head of US forces in Europe, Alexus Grynkewich, also warned of “an unhealthy co-dependence” by NATO on American forces.
