President Trump has avoided confirming his commitment to Article 5 of the NATO treaty, while urging member states to increase their defense budgets

Aboard Air Force One, Trump was asked about the implementation of Article 5 of the NATO treaty, answering that it depends on interpretation. He has called on NATO states to increase their defense spending to 5% of GDP, threatening that the US will not defend states that do not meet this commitment. While most countries agreed to increase their budgets, Spain got an exception, pledging to allocate 2.1% of GDP to defense. Trump has criticized Spain for refusing to increase its spending.