NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte and U.S. President Donald Trump in the Oval Office of the White House on June 24, 2026. —Jacquelyn Martin—APPresident Donald Trump said it is “ridiculous” for the United States to maintain its current level of support for NATO “when the relationship is not reciprocal."Referring to the alliance as a "one-sided path” late Thursday, Trump doubled down on his long-argued criticism of allied nations’ defense spending ahead of next week’s planned NATO summit in Ankara, Turkey.Alongside his Truth Social remarks, Trump posted a chart displaying contributions from NATO members, showing the U.S. vastly outspending its allies.The President had earlier complained that the U.S. “spends more money on NATO than any other country, by far, to protect them, without getting any benefit.” Seemingly citing figures from NATO’s defence expenditure data in 2025, he compared the “$999 billion” spent by the U.S. to the “$44.3 billion” put forward by Poland. [NATO's 2025 estimate for U.S. spending is $980 billion.] “Others, including Germany, are much lower,” Trump insisted. German Chancellor Friedrich Merz on Friday defended his country’s contributions."Germany is doubling its defense budget within four years. This is the greatest effort we have ever made to strengthen our defense capabilities. In this respect, we have no reason to shy away from anyone," he told reporters."We will state this, with all due modesty, and we are doing so as the European Union’s largest member state, bearing a responsibility within Europe."NATO defense spending has long been a contentious issue for Trump who has, since his first term, accused European allies of not investing enough in their own militaries and relying too heavily on U.S. contributions and protections.At the NATO summit in the Hague last year, most member states agreed to increase financial contributions, pledging to spend 5% of GDP annually on “core defense requirements as well as defense-and security-related spending by 2035.”Trump celebrated the announcement, marking it as a win for the U.S., but he has since raised concerns that some members aren’t on course to meet the target.Tensions between Trump and the NATO alliance have exacerbated this year amid the fallout of the Iran war. The U.S. President has repeatedly lambasted European countries for failing to get actively involved in the Iran war. He revived those criticisms on Thursday, arguing: “They were not there for us.” Several allies refused to allow the U.S. access to joint military bases for offensive operations against Iran. U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth labeled the decision “shameless” and argued it had put America’s sons and daughters “at risk.” At the height of the friction, Trump threatened to withdraw from the alliance—a move experts told TIME would have serious, far-reaching consequences.NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte, often described as the “Trump whisperer” for his diplomatic approach, visited the White House last week and attempted to ease tensions ahead of the upcoming summit.In the Oval Office, Rutte referred to Trump's military intervention in Iran as “extremely important” and presented large printed charts illustrating how much allies have increased defense spending since Trump’s first term in office in 2017.Rutte acknowledged there was “disappointment” with some allies, but characterized those as “isolated cases,” insisting that European countries were continuing to “live up to their bilateral basing agreements.”The outreach, however, appeared to do little to soften Trump's criticism of the alliance.Last month, Hegseth announced a review of U.S. military troops in Europe during a critical address to NATO defense ministers.The review, which could last up to six months, “will examine America's force posture and basing in Europe” and will include consultations with the U.S. Congress. “It will be designed to ensure that NATO is moving fast and irreversibly toward Europe leading, stepping up to take primary responsibility for the defense of Europe,” Hegseth said at the NATO headquarters in Brussels.It’s unclear if the review will lead to the further withdrawal of troops.Washington informed allies a month ago that it would begin reducing the military assets it dedicates to NATO in an effort to address what officials described as an “unhealthy co-dependence in the NATO Force Model on U.S. forces.”A NATO official told TIME on Friday that European allies have responded swiftly to the move.“In a matter of weeks, European Allies have largely filled the gaps left by U.S. reductions to the NATO Force Model,” said Supreme Allied Commander Europe (SACEUR) spokesperson Martin O’Donnnell.O’Donnell added that in the areas where this has not yet been possible, the alliance is “looking at alternate capabilities with matching effect.”