US President Donald Trump, who has made a reputation for abandoning a great number of important international pacts, discussed leaving the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) with his aides last year, according to a new report.
The president floated the idea several times throughout last year out of frustration over NATO allies’ refusal to increase military funding and compensate Washington for burdening most of the alliance’s funding since its establishment in 1949, The New York Times reported Monday, citing current and former administration officials.
The Times reported that pro-NATO officials within the administration were concerned that Trump might actually act on his threats and abandon the organization as members lagged behind his funding goals.
A US exit, the report suggested, would be “tantamount to destroying NATO.”
In July 2018, when all NATO leaders gathered in Brussels for what turned to be a tumultuous summit,…