Story highlights Trump: "Absolutely I would be committed to Article 5"

He went on to reiterate his call for NATO members to spend more on defense

(CNN) President Donald Trump said on Friday what he would not at NATO headquarters last month: He is committed to NATO's principle of common defense.

"I am committing the United States to Article 5," Trump said at Friday's press conference, referring to the alliance's principle that an attack on one NATO nation is an attack on them all.

"And certainly we are there to protect," Trump added, saying this is why the US is "paying the kind of money necessary to have that force."

"Yes, absolutely I would be committed to Article 5," he concluded.

But Trump declined to make the same statement during his speech at NATO headquarters in Brussels last month, when he scolded NATO leaders for failing to meet the alliance's defense spending guideline of 2% of GDP.

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