President-elect Donald Trump sets conditions for US leaving NATO

Appearing on NBC News' "Meet the Press" on December 8, Donald Trump - who will return to the White House as the 47th President of the United States on January 20, 2025 - presented the changes in domestic and foreign policies that he plans to implement upon taking office.

The US President-elect said that European member countries of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) have taken advantage of the US on trade.

“They don’t import our cars, they don’t import our food. They don’t import anything. It’s a disgrace,” Trump said.

“But most importantly, we protect them, so this is a double blow (to Washington),” the US President-elect emphasized, then continued: “I told those countries that I would not protect you unless you paid, and they started paying, a total of over $600 billion.”

Asked whether he would keep the US in NATO, Mr Trump said: “If they (the allies) pay their bills and if I think they treat us fairly, the answer is: absolutely, I will stay in NATO.”

In the event that allies do not pay, the US President-elect replied that he would “certainly” consider withdrawing the US from NATO.

According to TVP World, during his previous term, the Republican President continuously put pressure on European countries to increase military spending, requiring them to spend at least 3% of GDP on defense to ensure a fair contribution to collective security within NATO.

Currently, among NATO member states, Poland spends the largest percentage of its GDP on defense, at 4.12%.

The 2025 budget announced by Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk in August raised the ratio to a record 4.7%, aimed at boosting Poland's security amid what officials say is a threat of aggression from Russia.

“Poland is taking its role in NATO seriously,” Prime Minister Tusk said when announcing the budget, adding: “This budget reflects our determination to ensure the security of our country and our allies.”

The future of aid to Ukraine

In an interview with NBC News, when asked about Ukraine, Mr. Trump said Kiev would “probably” receive less aid from the United States when he takes office, and affirmed that he is “actively looking” to end the conflict in Ukraine, which is now approaching its third year.

Mr Trump has declined to comment on whether he has spoken to Russian President Vladimir Putin since winning the US presidential election on November 5.

“I don’t want to do anything that would interfere with the negotiations,” Mr. Trump said.

During the presidential campaign, the Republican candidate repeatedly criticized incumbent US President Joe Biden for allocating billions of dollars in aid to Ukraine.

Mr Trump claimed that if elected, he could end the war in Ukraine “within 24 hours”, but did not elaborate on how.

On December 8, US President-elect Donald Trump called for an "immediate ceasefire" between Ukraine and Russia, stressing that "negotiations" between the conflicting countries must begin.

On the Truth Social platform, Mr. Trump said: "Too many lives have been lost needlessly, too many families have been destroyed. If this continues, it could lead to much bigger and worse outcomes."

He also revealed that Ukrainian leader Volodymyr Zelensky, is eager for a “deal” to end the war between Ukraine and Russia.