Russia and China fear NATO, Trump says as he attacks allies.

President Trump criticised NATO allies, saying Russia and China would not fear the alliance without the United States; his comments came after US authorities seized a Russian-flagged tanker in European waters.

President Donald Trump publicly criticised NATO allies in comments made on Tuesday morning. He said that Russia and China would have no fear of the alliance without the United States. The remarks referenced defence spending levels and a 5% target set at the Hague last summer. They came shortly after US authorities seized a Russian-flagged tanker in European waters. Key facts: - President Trump said many NATO members were spending about 2% of GDP on defence and referenced a 5% target set at the Hague last summer. - He stated that Russia and China would not fear NATO without the United States and questioned whether NATO would act for the US if needed. - The comments were made hours after US authorities seized a Russian-flagged tanker in European waters. Summary: The remarks underline disagreements about defence burden-sharing among NATO members and were linked in time to the reported tanker seizure. Undetermined at this time.