A top Democratic senator, Dick Durbin, has admitted that President Donald Trump ‘wisely’ made the critical demand to NATO allies to spend more on defense. Durbin, who is in Turkey as part of a bipartisan congressional delegation to the 2026 NATO Summit, spoke with CBS News about Trump’s relationship with NATO.
Trump’s NATO Policy
Trump has been a vocal critic of NATO, arguing that the United States spends too much on the alliance while other countries do not contribute enough. He has demanded that NATO allies increase their defense spending to 5% of their gross domestic product.
Durbin described Trump’s relationship with NATO as a ‘back-and-forth, love-and-hate relationship.’ However, he acknowledged that Trump’s demand for increased defense spending is ‘not an unreasonable ask.’ Durbin also expressed his commitment to the NATO alliance, stating that ‘we’re a safer world with the NATO alliance.’
NATO Summit
The 2026 NATO Summit is being held in Ankara, Turkey, and is attended by Trump, Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, and National Security Adviser Michael Waltz. The summit will focus on defense spending, Ukraine, and other key issues.
Original reporting: Fox News (HLL/CB) — read the source article.
