Trump Moves Look Like 'Putin's Dream Plan'--Key NATO Ally [View all]

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Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk wrote in a post on X on Thursday: "The threat of NATO’s break-up, easing sanctions on Russia, a massive energy crisis in Europe, halting aid for Ukraine and blocking the loan for Kyiv by Orbán - it all looks like Putin’s dream plan."

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President Donald Trump greets Russian President Vladimir Putin as he arrives at Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson on August 15, 2025 in Anchorage, Alask...Read More | Getty Images/Andrew Harnik

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Trump has long-questioned the value of U.S. membership of the NATO military alliance, which was established in the wake of World War II to seek stability in Europe and prevent the spread of communism from the Soviet Union. Trump has also railed against the imbalance in military spending between the U.S. and other alliance members, and European pushback against his plans to annex Greenland.

The U.S.-Israel war in Iran has only exaggerated frustrations on both sides of the Atlantic. Trump has repeatedly criticized European NATO allies for not helping defend the Strait of Hormuz, the key shipping route blocked by Iran. In turn, Europe is increasingly vulnerable to the resultant rise in energy prices, at a time it is already working to end its dependency on Russian gas.

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Asked if he would reconsider the U.S.’ membership of NATO after the conflict, the president told the Daily Telegraph: "Oh yes, I would say [it’s] beyond reconsideration. I was never swayed by NATO. I always knew they were a paper tiger, and Putin knows that too, by the way."

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https://www.newsweek.com/donald-trump-moves-putin-dream-plan-key-nato-ally-11773678