Ahead of his meeting with NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte, US President Donald Trump again attacked the European allies, claiming the US spends "trillions of dollars" to defend Europe from Russia - and gets a "no" in return.

"They weren't there for us," Trump said, claiming he had asked the defence secretary to check whether the European allies would even show up to help America in a time of need. He took particular aim at British Prime Minister Keir Starmer - who resigned a day earlier - saying Starmer only promised help once Trump had won. "We don't need you once we've won," was his reply, adding that Starmer "was no Winston Churchill." Italy and Germany also came under fire, which Trump called "very bad" partners.

By his account, the US spends around 600 billion dollars a year on NATO - a figure he called "completely crazy." He concluded that Europe's refusal to help America was "stupid."

There's something familiar in this scene for anyone living in the Balkans - a great patron loudly reminding everyone how much he has given, and smaller countries suddenly realising how little they actually decide about their own security. The question Europe is now quietly asking itself is the same one we've known for a long time: what happens when the protector decides protecting no longer pays off? NATO sold itself for decades as an eternal alliance among equals. Trump, with his bluntness, simply says out loud what the structure always concealed - that some are more equal than others, and the bill is always held by the one who pays.