Washington: US President Donald Trump on Wednesday cast doubt on whether NATO would support the United States if the country truly needed the alliance's help, despite reaffirming his commitment to backing member nations.

According to Anadolu Agency - English, Trump expressed his skepticism on his social media platform, Truth Social, suggesting that Russia and China have no fear of NATO without the United States. He further questioned the alliance's reliability, stating, "I doubt NATO would be there for us if we really needed them." Despite these concerns, Trump emphasized that Washington will uphold its alliance obligations irrespective of reciprocity, claiming that Russia and China only "respect" the US under his leadership.

Trump also took credit for increasing NATO members' defense spending from 2% of GDP to 5%, asserting that many countries had not been fulfilling their financial responsibilities until his involvement. He claimed the US was "foolishly" covering their expenses before he compelled them to contribute "immediately."

In a later news briefing, White House spokesperson Karoline Leavitt reiterated that Trump's position on NATO remains unchanged. When asked about Trump's commitment to NATO's Article Five clause for collective defense, Leavitt referenced his earlier remarks, affirming that the US "will always be there for NATO, even if they are not there for us," highlighting his continued commitment to the alliance.

NATO allies had previously agreed at a June summit in The Hague to increase their defense spending target to 5% of annual GDP by 2035. Trump also criticized Norway, a NATO member, for not awarding him the Nobel Peace Prize, repeating his claim of "single-handedly" ending eight wars and emphasizing that he "saved millions of lives."