ISTANBUL, April 5 (Bernama-Anadolu) -- Former US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said President Donald Trump cannot withdraw the United States from NATO without congressional approval, criticising his threats to leave the alliance as “short-sighted”, Anadolu Ajansi reported.
In a post on X on Saturday, Pelosi said NATO was formed 77 years ago by the US and its allies as an alliance rooted in peace and democracy.
“Trump's threats to leave are not only short-sighted, they are a gift to (Russian President) Vladimir Putin,” said Pelosi, who served as US House Speaker from 2007 to 2011 and from 2019 to 2023.
Emphasising the legal limitations, Pelosi stressed: “The law is clear: No president can withdraw from NATO without congressional approval.”
The remarks come as Trump has repeatedly criticised NATO, calling it a “paper tiger” over its response to the Strait of Hormuz crisis, and also blasting alliance members as “cowards”, while saying leaving the alliance was “beyond reconsideration.”
Under a law passed in 2023, the US president cannot unilaterally withdraw from NATO without the approval of two-thirds of the Senate or an act of Congress.
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