The White House has developed something of a list of “naughty and exemplary” NATO countries as the Donald Trump administration looks for ways to punish allies who have refused to support a war with Iran.
Politico reports, citing three European diplomats and a U.S. Defence Department official, that the plan includes a review of member countries’ contributions to the alliance and tiering them.
It is the latest sign that US President Donald Trump plans to follow through on his threats against allies who don’t adhere to his wishes. The White House has not announced the existence of such a list, but has previously made clear its frustration with allies.
The administration is withholding any details while planning options, and officials have not made it clear what the commitments or consequences might be.
“They don’t seem to have very concrete ideas … When it comes to punishing bad allies. Moving troops is one option, but that would basically punish the U.S., wouldn’t it?” said another European official.
Politico notes that there are few other alternatives for withdrawing U.S. troops from Europe, so any potential plan would likely involve moving them from one country to another. Even then, the transfer could prove costly and time-consuming.
It is unclear which countries fall into which category and whether NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte is aware of the effort.
According to two European officials familiar with the plan, the concept could give the U.S. the ability to forgo troop deployments, joint exercises or sales of military equipment from perceived “bad” allies and transfer them to “good” ones.
NATO did not respond to reporters’ request for comment.
Following a meeting in Washington with Secretary General Mark Rutte, US President Donald Trump again criticised NATO, saying alliance members were not around “when we needed them”.