Hegseth Refuses to Reaffirm US Article 5 Commitment — 'That's the President's Decision'

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth declined to reaffirm US commitment to NATO's Article 5 collective defense obligation at a Pentagon briefing. When asked by Reuters whether the US remained committed to Article 5, Hegseth responded: 'As far as NATO is concerned, that's a decision that will be left to the president.' The statement was described as 'extraordinary' by European officials — no US Defense Secretary had previously conditioned Article 5 commitment on presidential discretion rather than treating it as a fixed treaty obligation. GV Wire and Eutoday both headlined the refusal as a pivotal moment exposing NATO fault lines. European diplomats privately noted the statement appeared to make Article 5 reliability a day-to-day presidential prerogative rather than a constitutional treaty commitment. Trump simultaneously told reporters he was 'strongly considering' pulling the United States out of NATO, calling the alliance a 'paper tiger' over allies' Iran war refusal.