I was not scolding you.

Is Mother scolding the horse?

Is mom scolding the horse's hemp?

We dislike scolding voices. We dislike frowning faces we like symmetrical faces, etc., etc.

The criticism was directed at all European members of NATO, but it was clear that the US government believes that Britain bears a special responsibility to maintain its military commitments. The UK has a long track record of scolding its European NATO partners for not spending the 2 of GDP that each has pledged to dedicate to defense now it appears that Britain itself risks falling short.