Donald Trump's statement on NATO continues to provoke strong reactions. Now there is more criticism from the US. A US soldier receives severe punishment.
Updated as of February 14, 1:51 pm: After Donald Trump's statements on NATO, members of the defense alliance seem to have drastically increased their spending on defense. Spending by European partners and Canada will increase by eleven percent by 2023, Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg said in Brussels on Wednesday. This is unprecedented. Stoltenberg added that he expected a total of 18 of the 31 allies to meet NATO's target of spending two percent of their GDP on defense this year. This is six times more than in 2014.
According to the German Press Agency, Germany has planned defense spending of two percent of GDP for the first time in three decades.
Donald Trump with statement on NATO: Defaulting partners should not be protected from Russia
First report on February 13, 11:29 am: WASHINGTON — Fury continues among allies over Donald Trump's assertion that NATO is unwilling to protect errant allies from Russia and Vladimir Putin in an emergency. While those responsible in Europe have behaved in an inexplicable manner, there has been a backlash against the former US president in the US as well. After the White House, Ben Hodges, the former commander of US forces in Europe, delivered a harsh judgment commenting on Trump's NATO statements.
Consequences “very, very dangerous”: Donald Trump's statement on NATO sparks debate
Donald Trump's comments on NATO are “strategically ignorant” and risk “confounding” America's own security interests, a retired British soldier has said. times. At the same time, he warned of a potential danger: In the midst of the war in Ukraine, Trump's NATO statement could encourage Russia to attack NATO countries. The consequences would be “very, very dangerous” for the US and the rest of NATO. In short, former Commander-in-Chief Donald Trump attests to strategic illiteracy.
“We rely on access in Europe, with bases in every country in Europe and around the Mediterranean,” Hodges said. “These bases are important to us and our contribution to NATO. They are not here to protect the Germans, they are here for us and what we are doing in Africa and the Middle East.
Trump's Statement on NATO Rhetorical Turmoil? Olaf Scholes with words of caution
Some observers view Trump's NATO statements as a rhetorical stunt aimed at boosting European defense budgets and easing pressure on the United States. Chancellor of Germany Olaf Scholes However, it sees a greater risk and warns against gambling with Europe's security. “NATO's defense commitment applies seamlessly. All for one. One for all,” he said SPDA politician at a meeting with Poland's new, pro-European government leader Donald Tusk in Berlin on Monday.
The former US president apparently did not see that Donald Trump's statements about NATO could threaten the security of alliance partners. After his campaign appearance for the 2024 US election, he said he had strengthened the defense alliance. “I strengthened NATO,” the Republican wrote in a post on his social network Truth Social.
Donald Trump Statement at US Election Event: Republicans Ready to Abandon NATO
It is currently uncertain whether Donald Trump will actually back down on NATO partners if re-elected in the US elections this year. However, according to Hodges, the risk is great. A former US commander said times He said he believes Trump is “absolutely ready” to pivot to Europe when he returns to the White House. “It has nothing to do with whether Germany meets its 2 percent target or whether Norway or Canada meets it,” he said. “Trump hates alliances. He hates the obligation to fulfill something.
Donald Trump is a “mafia type” who does not want to be restricted in his interests. During his last term as President of the United States, he showed that he was completely unconcerned with moral obligations. “We'd be fools not to take what he says at face value.” The concerns and uncertainty in the transatlantic community may therefore be justified. President Joe Biden recently called Trump's latest criticism of the alliance “terrible and dangerous.”
NATO's 2 percent target: Only a handful of countries meet Trump's claim
During his time as US president, Donald Trump has repeatedly accused NATO allies of relying too much on US security. Therefore, he continued to call on countries to expand their own armed forces. For this, two percent of GDP should be used for defense expenditure. how Newsweek Poland (3.9 percent), the United States (3.49 percent), Greece (3.01 percent), Estonia (2.73 percent), Lithuania (2.54 percent), Finland (2.45 percent), Romania (2.44 percent), and Hungary are broken down in an article. (2.43 per cent), Latvia (2.27 per cent), United Kingdom (2.07 per cent) and Slovakia (2.03 per cent) set the target mark, Two percent of their GDP for armed forces to spend, achieved.
Based on July 2024 data, France, Montenegro, North Macedonia, Bulgaria, Croatia, Albania, Netherlands, Norway, Denmark, Germany, Czech Republic, Portugal, Italy, Canada, Slovenia, Turkey, Spain and Belgium missed the target. Luxembourg invested 0.72 percent of GDP in its own defense capacity. However, the country also has special needs due to its size. Since Iceland does not have its own military, it is not included in the statistics.
NATO: Trump Threatens Germany to Invest 2 Percent of GDP
as Daily news Trump backed up his threat to NATO, he writes, but alliance partners will nonetheless exercise extreme caution. It says his latest attack will strike the alliance at its core. The former US president did not specify in his statement who was the real target of Trump's NATO statement. However, the Republican Party will target Germany in particular – even if this is unfounded in the future. Loud Daily news The central government plans to spend at least 2.0 percent of GDP on defense by 2024. (fbu)
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