Trump Has Compiled Lists Of "good" And "bad" NATO Allies

• 22.04.2026, 14:39

What is the president of the United States up to?

The Trump administration has developed a kind of ranking of NATO allies - and is already looking for ways to punish those who have refused to support a war with Iran.

According to Politico, three European diplomats and a U.S. Defense Department official said.

The White House has developed something like a list of "naughty and bad" NATO countries. It was being worked on ahead of alliance Secretary-General Mark Rutte's visit to Washington.

The plan calls for a review of each member country's contributions and a tiering of them.

"The White House has a list of 'naughty and obedient,' so I think the idea is the same here," said one diplomat.

U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth floated the idea back in December:

"Model allies that are stepping up, such as Israel, South Korea, Poland, increasingly Germany, the Baltic states and others, will get our special commitment. Allies who still fail to contribute to collective defense will face the consequences."

Romania and Poland could be the main beneficiaries, according to the publication. Romania allowed the U.S. to use its Mihail Cogelniceanu airbase during the Iran operation. Poland pays almost all the costs of maintaining 10,000 U.S. troops on its territory.

Bulgaria has also discreetly supported U.S. logistics in the Middle East. The Baltic states of Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia have been praised for consistently high levels of military spending.

Spain, France and Britain, by contrast, have either rejected or delayed U.S. requests for assistance during the Iran campaign.

What threatens "bad" allies

There are no specific punishment mechanisms yet. But among the options being considered:

withdrawing or moving U.S. troops from one country to another;

discontinuing joint exercises;

stopping arms sales.

"They don't seem to have very specific ideas when it comes to punishing bad allies. Moving troops is one option, but that mainly punishes the US, doesn't it?" - one European official remarked.

The White House openly threatened "naughty" countries that were not there for the United States during Operation Epic Fury.

"President Trump has been clear about his views on this unfair dynamic, and as he said, the United States will be remembered," White House spokeswoman Anna Kelly said."