UK troops spearheaded Nato’s Exercise Steadfast Dart in eastern Romania in January and February. Future exercises could be held without US troops - Paul Grover for The Telegraph More
The United States has told its allies that it does not plan to participate in military exercises in Europe, according to reports.
The move, the latest in Donald Trump’s pivot away from the bloc, would see America pull out of exercises beyond those already scheduled for this year.
The withdrawal concerns exercises that are on the “drawing board”, according to Swedish newspaper Expressen.
It means that Nato countries will be forced to plan exercises without the participation of the US military, the largest in the alliance.
Mr Trump has repeatedly criticised Nato countries for not meeting the current goal of spending two per cent of GDP on defence, arguing that the disparity puts an unfair burden on the United States.
On Friday, he warned that the US may not defend Nato allies who do not meet the spending target as part of a major shake-up of the alliance.
Mr Trump told reporters: “When I came to Nato, when I first had my first meeting, I noticed that people weren’t paying their bills at all, and I said I should wait till my second meeting.
“And I did. And I brought that up, and I said, ‘If you don’t pay your bills, we’re not going to participate. We’re not going to protect you.’
“And when I said that, as soon as they said that, it was amazing how the money came in, the money came in, and now they have money. But even now, it’s not enough. They should be paying more.”
It has also been reported that the Trump administration is redrawing Nato engagement in a way that favours member countries with higher defence spending.
The president is said to be considering prioritising military exercises with member countries that are spending the set percentage of GDP on their defence, officials told NBC.
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