US President-elect Donald Trump said NATO members should spend 5% of GDP on defense budgets, instead of the current 2%.
"They can all afford it, it should be 5%, not 2%. Europe is paying a fraction of what we are paying. There's an ocean between us and them, right? Why should the US pay billions of dollars more than Europe?", AFP quoted US President-elect Trump as saying at a press conference on January 7.
US President-elect Donald Trump speaks at a press conference on January 7 in Florida (USA)
The increase from 2% to 5% would mean each NATO country would have to increase its defense budget by 150% compared to current levels. Last month, Mr. Trump renewed his threat to leave the alliance if members did not increase spending.
The US president-elect stressed that he had forced many NATO member countries to spend 2% of GDP on defense budgets, referring to the pressure he created during his first term to force the countries in the alliance to meet that target. According to NATO's most recent report, 23 of the bloc's 32 members met the target of spending 2% of GDP on defense budgets in 2024.
No NATO member currently spends 5% of its GDP on military spending, including the US. It is unclear whether Mr Trump intends to increase the US defense budget to 5% of GDP after taking office.
According to AFP, US President-elect Trump is not the only senior official calling for NATO to increase spending. Previously, NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte emphasized that: "We will need more than 2%". Mr. Rutte also warned that European countries were not prepared for the threat of a potential war in the future, and called on NATO members to "accelerate" defense spending.
In addition, the head of the German Parliament's Defense Committee, Marcus Faber, said on January 7 that NATO countries would need to set a new target for military spending, but stressed that the figure would be 3%, not 5% as proposed by Mr. Trump. "Of course, this will be decided and agreed upon through common consensus, not by a single member state," Mr. Faber affirmed.
A multiple launch rocket system (MLRS) in the Zaporizhzhia region (Ukraine) on December 25, 2024
On the other hand, in a press conference on January 7, Mr. Trump said that US President Joe Biden had hinted at allowing Ukraine to join NATO, implying that this was the reason why Russia launched a special military operation. "Somewhere along the way, Mr. Biden said they should be able to join NATO. There was someone standing right on Russia's doorstep, so I can understand how they feel about that," Mr. Trump said.
In fact, NATO countries agreed on the possibility of Ukraine joining the alliance in 2008. However, the US and Germany have recently stopped supporting this move due to concerns about the risk of NATO being dragged into a conflict with Russia.
Mr Trump has pledged to push for a quick deal to end the Russia-Ukraine conflict, raising concerns about the future of Washington's military aid to Kyiv.
Source: https://thanhnien.vn/ong-trump-muon-cac-thanh-vien-nato-tang-chi-tieu-quoc-phong-len-5-gdp-185250108131753924.htm
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