Trump has allowed NATO funding to be halted
US President Donald Trump said that he was not sure whether to continue sponsoring NATO, as America protects the members of the alliance and does not receive help in return. This was reported by Reuters on January 23.
"I'm not sure we should be spending anything, but we certainly should be helping them. We are protecting them. They're not protecting us," Trump told reporters at the White House.
In addition, he reiterated his statement that NATO should raise defense spending from 2% to 5% of the WFP.
Prior to that, Trump announced his intention to ask the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) and Saudi Arabia to lower oil prices, among other things, to pressure Russia on Ukraine. According to him, if OPEC fulfills his request, the Ukrainian conflict will supposedly be over.
Earlier in the day, Foreign Policy magazine reported that NATO members plan to offer Ukraine two security guarantees in exchange for a "deal" with Russia. If this guarantee is realized, Ukraine may get an opportunity to join the North Atlantic alliance.
On 6 January, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, whose powers expire on 20 May 2024, said that the Ukrainian side was ready to settle the conflict, but on condition that NATO provides guarantees on the territories controlled by Kiev.
