For years, President Donald Trump has criticized NATO's European allies for relying too heavily on the United States for military defense.Heading into July's NATO summit, disagreements about Iran and defense spending threatened to overshadow what was expected to be a pivotal meeting for the alliance. Instead, Trump administration officials believe the summit showed Trump's yearslong pressure campaign is beginning to pay off."The summit was a huge success," Matthew Whitaker, the U.S.
ambassador to NATO, told Fox News Digital in an interview."President Trump has found, I think, a NATO that is more capable and increasingly stronger and is equalizing with the United States."TRUMP ENTERS FINAL NATO SUMMIT DAY AS UKRAINE, DEFENSE SPENDING TAKE CENTER STAGEAnd while Whitaker described the alliance's trajectory as overwhelmingly positive, he acknowledged not every ally is moving at the same pace."I know exactly where every ally is," he said.
"I make phone calls and make visits depending on where allies are falling out."PENTAGON SLASHES NATO COMBAT COMMITMENTS AS TRUMP PUSHES EUROPE TO DEFEND ITSELFAt the 2025 NATO Summit in The Hague, allies agreed to boost defense spending to 5% of GDP by 2035, a significant increase from the alliance's longstanding 2% benchmark.In 2026, Whitaker said he's monitoring each ally's progress on a monthly dashboard.Whitaker said the administration believes years of pressure from Trump are beginning to produce the alliance the president has long envisioned: one in which Europe assumes far greater responsibility for its own defense while allowing the U.S.
to focus more heavily on other global priorities."The summit was a huge success," Matthew Whitaker, the U.S.ambassador to NATO, told Fox News Digital in an interview.
"President Trump has found, I think, a NATO that is more capable and increasingly stronger and is equalizing with the United States." (Fox News Digital )He praised Poland, Latvia, Lithuania, Estonia, Greece and Turkey for agg...