A leading Republican on foreign affairs anticipates that the US will not withdraw from NATO but will instead fortify the alliance.

Senator Jim Risch, a top Republican in Foreign Affairs, predicted that the U.S. would not leave NATO under the Trump administration and vowed to collaborate with the new president to fortify it.

As the new Republican majority's Foreign Relations Committee leader, Sen. Jim Risch, R-Idaho, stated that his top priority is placing Trump's team in office. He expressed optimism that they would be able to confirm Marco Rubio as secretary of state by Inauguration Day.

After meeting with Trump, the chairman stated that he believes Trump's national security team will be less chaotic this time around.

"Everyone you speak to will mention how different this time is," he stated. "It will be significantly improved."

On Wednesday, while meeting with senators, Trump discussed his foreign policy priorities, but refused to disclose specifics.

Risch appears to disregard Trump's warnings of withdrawing the US from NATO.

"I believe everyone is aware of Russia's actions, and the original founders of NATO were correct in their belief that we must unite and take a stand," he stated. "I don't think anyone would suggest leaving NATO."

"In Congress, we held a vote on whether to leave NATO, and it passed overwhelmingly."

In December 2023, Congress passed legislation as part of the NDAA that prohibited any president from withdrawing the US from NATO without the approval of two-thirds of the Senate or an act of Congress. This provision was championed by Rubio.

After Trump's first term and Russia's invasion of Ukraine, nations began to gradually increase their military spending, but Canada is not expected to reach the 2% target until 2032.

Currently, 23 out of 32 NATO countries are meeting the 2% target, which the Republicans now claim is insufficient.

Risch has long planned to work with allies to increase their spending.

"President Trump and I believe European countries must comply. There is much debate about how to achieve this."

In December, Trump stated that he would "absolutely" depart from NATO if his conditions were not fulfilled. He has consistently pushed for the alliance's other 32 members to boost their defense expenditures.

If they pay their bills and treat us fairly, I would definitely remain with NATO, he stated.

The comments were viewed as a means to pressure nations that are not investing enough in defense to increase their spending. Although NATO has long aimed for its members to spend 2% on defense, many are still not meeting this target. Recently, Trump raised the goal to 5%, which is more than any country currently spends.

During an appearance at Mar-a-Lago on Tuesday, Trump stated that although they can all afford it, they should be at five percent, not two percent.

He argued that Europe had more to lose due to its proximity to adversaries compared to the U.S.

"During an appearance at his Mar-a-Lago resort in Florida, Trump stated that Europe is only receiving a small fraction of the money that the US is investing in. He questioned why Europe is receiving billions of dollars more than the US, given the presence of an ocean between them."

In 2020, the US allocated 3.4% of its GDP towards defense, while Poland spent the most at 4.12%.

Risch, who previously led the Foreign Relations Committee from 2019 to 2021, stated that he intends to collaborate with Trump in implementing a "maximum pressure" campaign on Iran, and to tighten sanctions in order to put pressure on the regime's economic system.

""He said he is encouraging them to go back to the maximum pressure," I replied."

"The government offered a large sum of money to them, pleading for their cooperation in reaching a deal."

"Iran will have to make tough decisions due to the exterior and interior pressures they are facing, which make it difficult for them to sustain their current actions."