Fact check: How can a country actually withdraw from NATO?

US President Donald Trump's tirade against NATO has intensified successful caller weeks against the backdrop of the warfare successful Iran, going arsenic acold arsenic threatening to propulsion retired of the confederation aft European countries and different Western partners refused to actively instrumentality part.

His latest verbal assault, successful which helium called the confederation "paper tiger", came aft NATO countries didn't respond to his calls to assemble a naval unit to assistance reopen the Strait of Hormuz, which Tehran has efficaciously blocked.

"I would accidental [it's] beyond reconsideration," he said successful an interview with UK paper The Telegraph. "I was ne'er swayed by NATO. I ever knew they were a insubstantial tiger, and [Russian President Vladimir] Putin knows that too, by the way."

Trump's comments person sparked disorder online arsenic to however a state tin motorboat the process to permission the alliance, with immoderate saying it's intolerable and others claiming the US president tin unilaterally determine to leave. So what bash the rules say?

What does NATO say?

Article 13 of the 1949 North Atlantic Treaty says that, to leave, a state needs to formally notify the US, which past lets each the different members know. It volition past officially retreat a twelvemonth later.

It truthful seems straightforward capable for European countries and Canada, taxable to their ain home laws and processes, but however could the US discontinue the alliance?

Under the North Atlantic Treaty, the US acts arsenic some a subordinate and the depositary of the alliance, meaning that it manages the pact texts and handles accession and withdrawal notifications.

Essentially, the US authorities would person to notify the US Department of State of its volition to withdraw. It would past fulfil its accustomed work of letting each the different members know.

In theory, the US could stay NATO's depositary without being a member, but the remaining countries would apt ballot done an amendment to the pact to springiness those duties to idiosyncratic else.

What does US instrumentality say?

Domestically, things aren't arsenic elemental for the US to leave, either. In 2023, then-President Joe Biden signed legislation blocking a president from quitting the confederation unless they're backed by a two-thirds bulk successful the Senate.

It was an amendment to the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2024, specifically saying that the president cannot "suspend, terminate, denounce oregon withdraw" from the North Atlantic Treaty unless they person the Senate supermajority oregon an Act of Congress to bash so. It besides prohibits the usage of national funds to enactment a withdrawal.

"The instrumentality makes it formally precise hard for the president to instrumentality the US retired of the treaty," Rafael Loss, argumentation chap astatine the European Council connected Foreign Relations, told Euronews' fact-checking team, The Cube. "Of course, determination mightiness beryllium — successful the lawsuit of Trump trying to bash truthful — differing ineligible interpretations of the competencies of the US's antithetic legislative branches."

It's highly apt that immoderate determination to formally retreat from NATO would caput consecutive for the Supreme Court, with the authorities arguing that the powerfulness to permission a pact belongs to the president and that attempts to halt that are unconstitutional.

"There are besides different NATO-related statutes successful the US, specified arsenic those mentioning US contributions to NATO's budget, requirements to name personnel, export controls and different policies," Loss said, adding that arsenic the US is mentioned successful sanction by NATO treaties, immoderate departure by Washington would trigger litigation and questions implicit those laws successful the US.

Remaining successful sanction only

A large concern, however, is simply a script successful which the US technically remains successful NATO but efficaciously leaves by severely reducing its contributions to the confederation and abandoning its communal defence obligations nether Article 5 of the North Atlantic Treaty.

Experts pass that hollowing retired NATO successful specified a way, particularly fixed the US's tremendous proviso of resources, could fundamentally harm the mode it works.

"Trump can't legally retreat from NATO without Senate consent," said Ian Bremmer, president and laminitis of Eurasia Group, in a station connected X. "But if NATO members can't spot that the United States volition grant Article 5, the confederation is already breached successful the mode that matters most."

Loss voiced a akin opinion, telling The Cube that, portion the US formally withdrawing would origin "tremendous damage" to NATO, it would beryllium preferable to remaining a non-committed subordinate successful immoderate respects, due to the fact that astatine slightest specified a determination would supply clarity and beforehand announcement to the different members.

"We can't exclude the anticipation [that the US volition enactment arsenic an indifferent member] fixed what Trump has said," Loss explained, pointing to the president's wavering connected NATO commitments, his caller disapproval of the US's allies, and his comments astir seizing Greenland from Denmark and annexing Canada — some chap NATO members.

"Trump is not committed to the day-to-day cognition of NATO, truthful it's not extracurricular the realm of capableness that helium says the US nary longer feels bound by the Article 5 obligation," helium added. "It would beryllium a hard spread to adjacent for Europe."

With the US retired of the picture, Europe and Canada would not lone person to plug the immense spread near by Washington (the US contributed astir 60% of NATO's full $1.404 trillion defence spending successful 2025), but they would besides person to robust retired an array of logistical issues.

These see captious vacancies near by US personnel, a nonaccomplishment of entree to bases connected US territory, and an inability to measure the engagement of the US successful Europe successful the future.

Has anyone near NATO before?

A imaginable "half exit" from NATO isn't without precedent, however, with Loss pointing to France arsenic an absorbing lawsuit study.

While nary state has ever near NATO before, the closest 1 came was erstwhile France, nether President Charles de Gaulle, decided to retreat from its subject bid operation successful 1966.

In practice, it remained a subordinate (specifically arsenic portion of the North Atlantic Council, NATO's governmental wing), but thousands of US troops were ordered to permission France, and NATO's office moved from Paris to Brussels, wherever it remains today.

French generals besides nary longer reported to the Supreme Allied Commander Europe, who is ever a US citizen.

Nevertheless, Paris returned to the fold successful 2009 nether President Nicolas Sarkozy, rejoining the subject command.

NATO did not respond to our petition for remark arsenic of the clip of publishing.