NATO has been forced to reassert its collective defense clause after Donald Trump raised doubt over the US's commitment to defending Balkan partner Montenegro. Trump described Montenegrins as "very aggressive."
Image: Getty Images/AFP/G. vanden Wijngaert
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Trump suggests Montenegro could start World War III
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NATO officials on Wednesday scrambled to reassert the alliance's collective defense clause — commonly referred to as Article 5 — after US President Donald Trump appeared to suggest NATO's newest member Montenegro could instigate World War III.
A NATO official told Germany's DPA news agency that Article 5 of the North Atlantic Treaty was "unconditional and iron-clad," reaffirming that "an attack on one is an attack on all."
In a television interview Tuesday night, Trump appeared to cast doubt over the US' commitment to defending NATO partner Montenegro in the event of an attack. Fox News host Tucker Carlson asked Trump "why should my son go to Montenegro to defend it from attack," to which the president responded "I've asked the same question."
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Trump went on to describe Montenegrins as a "very strong" and "very aggressive people."
"They may get aggressive and congratulations, you're in World War III," he added. "It's very unfair because they aren't even paying and we are protecting them."
Montenegro is NATO's 29th and newest member, having joined in June 2017. According to official figures, its defense spending amounts to €66 million ($76 million), or around 1.66 percent of GDP. It says it will meet the 2 percent defense spending target by 2024, as agreed by other NATO members.
With a population of just over 620,000, the tiny Balkan country also contributes more troops per capita to the war in Afghanistan than the US.
Montenegro's opposition party reacts
Responding to Trump's chiding comments, the liberal opposition United Reform Action (URA) party said there was nothing to suggest "Montenegrin citizens could participate, or cause any kind of incident that could lead to war conflicts."
"We call on President Trump not to worry about the non-existent war ambitions of Montenegro, but to try to understand our democratic system," the party said in a statement, before blaming the ruling Democratic Party of Socialists and Prime Minister Dusko Markovic for damaging Podgorica's image abroad.
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Caught between NATO and Russia
Trump's comments came on the back of last week's NATO summit in Brussels, in which the US president initially appeared to cast doubt over Washington's defense commitments due to shortcomings in spending.
The president has long contended that smaller NATO member states take the US' defense commitment for granted without wanting to share the financial burden.
The president's criticism of Montenegro also follows Monday's summit with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Finland. Moscow has long opposed further NATO enlargement and vocally denounced Podgorica's accession to the alliance last year. The country is also among the frontrunners in the Balkans for accession to the European Union.
Trump also has history with the small Balkan state. At last year's NATO summit, the president pushed aside Markovic as the leaders prepared for a group photo, almost elbowing him in the face.
Donald Trump on NATO: Top quotes
From disparaging NATO member states to calling it "obsolete," US President Donald Trump has rarely said something positive about the decades-old military alliance. DW looks at the US president's most memorable quotes.
Image: picture-alliance/Zumapress/J. Torres
Trump on NATO: A war of words
Even before taking office, US President Donald Trump's relationship with NATO has been a tumultuous one, to say the least. He has disparaged the trans-Atlantic alliance, once describing it as "obsolete" and a relic of the Cold War. Here are Trump's most memorable quotes about the military alliance, even if they are at times false.
Image: picture-alliance/Zumapress/J. Torres
'Days of the Soviet Union'
While on the campaign trail in 2016, Trump made clear that he saw NATO as a relic of the Cold War. "You know, we're dealing with NATO from the days of the Soviet Union, which no longer exists. We need to either transition into terror or we need something else." But his remarks didn't account for how the alliance backed the US well after the collapse of the Soviet Union, especially in Afghanistan.
Image: picture-alliance/AP Photo/M. Kulbis
'Germany owes vast sums'
Trump has made defense spending his main talking point on NATO. But he has falsely accused member states of owing money to Washington, saying: "Germany owes vast sums of money to NATO, and the United States must be paid more for the powerful, and very expensive, defense it provides to Germany." The problem is NATO doesn't work like that. No money is owed to the alliance for defense or otherwise.
Image: picture-alliance/dpa/K. Nietfeld
'Obsolete'
Days before his inauguration, Trump caught NATO members off guard when he claimed the alliance was "obsolete" and threatened to withdraw support. "I said a long time ago that NATO had problems: Number one, it was obsolete, because it was designed many, many years ago." Months later, he retracted his statement, citing changes within the alliance. "Now they fight terrorism," he said.
Image: picture-alliance/AP Photo/T. Stavrakis
'Doesn't sound very smart'
Trump had tended to lump trade between US allies with how much Washington spends on defense. "We are spending a fortune on military in order to lose $800 billion (in trade losses). That doesn't sound very smart to me," Trump said. The problem is that while NATO members have agreed to spend 2 percent of their GDP on defense, the alliance has nothing to do with international trade.
Image: picture-alliance/AP Photo/E. Vucci
'We are the schmucks'
During a 2018 rally in Montana, Trump hit out at European allies, saying: "They want (us) to protect against Russia, and yet they pay billions of dollars to Russia, and we're the schmucks paying for the whole thing." Trump was referring to Russia as Europe's primary source for oil and natural gas, but he created a false dichotomy between energy reliance and NATO's defense spending goal.
Image: picture-alliance/AP Photo/V. Kryeziu
'Congratulations, you're in World War III'
In an interview with Fox News, Trump was asked why the US should jump to the defense of NATO ally Montenegro if it was attacked. The president said he asked himself the same question, a remark that appeared to undermine the alliance's collective defense clause. Trump went on to describe Montenegrins as "very strong" and "very aggressive," and that that aggression risked starting World War III.
