NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte said the United States is “fully committed” to the mutual defense clause in Article 5 of the alliance after President Donald Trump expressed doubts on the issue.

“It is absolutely clear to me that the US is fully committed to NATO, fully committed to Article 5,” Rutte told reporters ahead of the alliance leaders' summit, quoted by AFP.

On his way to the summit, Trump refused to commit to NATO's Article 5 clause, the core agreement that an attack on one member is an attack on all.

“It depends on your definition. There are many definitions of Article 5,” Trump told reporters in comments that are sure to worry America's European allies.

“I am committed to being their friend,” he added.

Rutte stressed, however, that there were “expectations” that Canadians and Europeans would increase their spending, with the US long complaining that it pays too much for the defense of European countries.

Later today, NATO allies are expected to sign a commitment to allocate 3.5% of GDP to core defense spending — slightly above the current US level — plus an additional 1.5% for broader security-related areas such as cybersecurity and infrastructure.

“It is fair to spend as much as the US spends,” Rutte said. | BGNES