Trump Bats for Lower NATO Spending Target for US: "They Should Do That, I Don't Think We Should"
U.S. Pursues Exception from Increased NATO Spending Obligation Proposed by NATO Leader Trump
With the upcoming NATO summit around the corner, there's buzz about a significant increase in the defense spending target for alliance members – a demand made by US President Donald Trump for quite a while now. However, Trump has made it clear that the five-percent target needn't apply to the United States itself.
When quizzed by a journalist whether NATO members should aim for defense spending of five percent of GDP in the future, Trump replied casually, "I think they should do that. I don't think we should. But I think they should."
Trump believes that the US has bolstered NATO for decades, often shouldering nearly a hundred percent of its costs. Thus, he feels that NATO countries ought to step up and accept the new spending target, criticizing countries like Spain and Canada for their low military expenditures.
NATO Pushes for Defense Enhancements
Under pressure from Trump, the defense alliance is expected to agree at their summit meeting next week to invest at least 3.5 percent of their national GDP in defense in the future. An additional 1.5 percent for defense-related spending, such as infrastructure, would follow, resulting in a total quota of five percent – a figure Trump has long sought. However, it's worth noting that the US already spends around 3.5 percent of its GDP on defense.
Spain Digs in Heels
The Spanish government, however, is currently at loggerheads with this increased spending target. As a result, NATO ambassadors met in Brussels on Friday for another round of negotiations, which ended unsuccessfully. According to diplomats, talks stretched over the weekend to strike a compromise before Tuesday's meeting.
Spain's Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez previously described the proposed five-percent defense spending target as "unreasonable" and "counterproductive" in a letter to NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte. This protest from Madrid has caused some tension among other NATO partners, potentially threatening the compromise that has been in the works for several months.
European NATO countries fear that Trump could turn his back on the alliance if his demands aren't met. In the past, the US president has threatened to support countries that, in his opinion, contribute enough to their own defense[1][2].
[1] The New York Times. (2020, October 27). Trump Wants NATO to Raise Military Spending by Withdrawing U.S. Troops, Officials Say. https://www.nytimes.com/2020/10/27/us/politics/us-withdraw-troops-nato-spending.html
[2] National Interest. (2020, June 16). Why Trump Is Right to Insist on More NATO Spending. https://nationalinterest.org/feature/trump-right-insist-more-nato-spending-165782
[3] Washington Post. (2019, December 4). Trump administration presses NATO allies to increase military spending. https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/trump-administration-presses-nato-allies-to-increase-military-spending/2019/12/03/e4a764a0-5f95-11e9-82f6-e8130c619e0d_story.html
- The European Union's diplomats are closely watching the stance of member countries in the upcoming NATO summit, given the escalating tension surrounding the defense spending target, which the US President Donald Trump has long advocated.
- On the other hand, politics within the European Union remains complex as EU nations grapple with their own defense spending policies, legislation, and general news, making it challenging to establish a harmonized European Union stance on war-and-conflicts and politics related to NATO.
