Russia appears to be celebrating Donald Trump’s scepticism towards NATO after he suggested he could remove the US from the organisation. Major newspapers in the country have printed stories on the matter, according to the BBC’s Russia editor, Steve Rosenberg, who translates Russian media.

One ran with the headline, “Trump declares he’s ready to pull America out of NATO“, while another wrote, “NATO split deepens. If Washington pulls out, the alliance may cease to exist”. This comes after the US President said he would reconsider whether the US should still be a part of the alliance in the wake of the Iran war.

Speaking to The Telegraph, Mr Trump said the alliance is a “paper tiger” and that removing America from the defence treaty is now “beyond reconsideration”.

Asked if he would reconsider the US’s membership in the alliance after the conflict, he said: “Oh yes, I would say [it’s] beyond reconsideration.

“I was never swayed by NATO. I always knew they were a paper tiger, and Putin knows that too, by the way.”

This drew criticism from Sir Keir Starmer, who has so far refused to join Mr Trump’s campaign in the Middle East and reiterated his commitment to NATO, which he called “the single most effective military alliance the world has ever seen”.

The Prime Minister said: “Firstly, NATO is the single most effective military alliance the world has ever seen, and it has kept us safe for many decades, and we are fully committed to NATO.

“Secondly, that whatever the pressure on me and others, whatever the noise, I’m going to act in the British national interest in all the decisions that I make.