White House draws up blacklist of NATO countries — media

NEW YORK, April 22. /TASS/. The US administration has drawn up a blacklist of NATO countries that have refused to support Washington in its war with Iran and is considering ways to penalize them, Politico reported, citing sources. The document, prepared ahead of NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte’s April 8-12 visit to Washington, includes an overview of member states’ contributions to alliance activities and ranks them by level, three European diplomats and a Pentagon official told the publication. Secretary of War Pete Hegseth explained the rationale behind the initiative last December. "Model allies that step up <...> will receive our special favor," Politico quoted him as saying. "Allies that still fail to do their part for collective defense will face consequences," Hegseth added. According to one diplomat, the list appears to reflect this concept. "The White House has a naughty and nice paper so I guess the thinking is similar," he said. Sources indicate that the US administration is keeping the details under wraps while considering various courses of action. Officials have not clarified what these privileges or consequences might entail, they added. US President Donald Trump has previously said he would review the US role in the alliance. According to Politico, Washington could cut NATO funding, reduce the number of US troops in Europe, or redeploy forces from one country to another. Possible consequences for countries that refuse to provide assistance to the US include, according to two European officials familiar with the plans, the cancellation of joint exercises, a reduction in arms sales to "bad" allies, and the redirection of such sales to "good" ones.