Trump's Pick As Nato Ambassador Says Us Commitment To The Alliance Is 'ironclad'

President Donald Trump's pick as NATO ambassador reassured senators at his confirmation hearing on Tuesday that the Trump administration's commitment to the military alliance was "ironclad."

The U.S. commitment has been called into question by Trump's scathing criticism of European allies and his eagerness to build ties with Russian President Vladimir Putin.

Matt Whitaker, an acting attorney general in Trump's first term, told senators that a key part of his mission would be to push the 32 NATO allies to meet Trump's demand to increase their own defense spending

Trump sent chills through the alliance with his comment during the campaign that Russia should "do whatever the hell it wants" to NATO members that don't meet military spending targets. He has played down the threat from Russia and threatened to end U.S. support for Ukraine as it fights off Russia's invasion.

In the aftermath of Trump's contentious meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy last week at the White House, European NATO members have been scrambling to assess their defense arrangements, while insisting there is no thought of going it alone without the United States.