ANKARA, July 8. /TASS/. US President Donald Trump has told NATO allies of his desire to keep the United States in the alliance, Reuters quoted a source as saying.
According to the source, at a closed-door meeting Trump also said the United States is ready to continue selling weapons to its allies, regardless of how they will be used. According to Politico, Trump's public criticism of NATO has been replaced by more restrained and largely complimentary language behind closed doors.
"We want to remain with you," Trump said at the closed-door meeting, according to one of its participants as quoted by Politico. According to his estimates, "the mood in the room was a lot better than it seemed before."
In April, Trump said he was disgusted with NATO and was considering withdrawing from the alliance. In an interview with The Daily Telegraph, he explained that he was considering reviewing US participation in NATO, since the alliance did not support Washington in the war with Tehran. In the same interview, Trump called NATO a "paper tiger" and admitted that he had never had much sympathy for the alliance.