The American president Donald Trump is pleased that NATO countries will increase their defense budgets. On Wednesday, Trump lashed out at Spain, which does not want to spend 5 percent of its gross domestic product (GDP) on defense annually.
“This NATO summit was mainly about increasing that standard, because the member states have to bear more burdens,” Trump said. According to the American president, the countries owe it to him that the standard has been increased to 5 percent. “Other countries have been trying for years, but now it has succeeded.”
Trump first proposed last year to increase defense spending to 5 percent of gross domestic product (GDP). NATO countries have been cutting back on defense for years, but have agreed at the summit that they will spend 5 percent annually on it in ten years.
It concerns a promise to each other. NATO cannot force member states to spend a certain amount on their defense.
At the moment, there are still a few countries that do not meet the current standard of 2 percent. The image below shows what percentage of GDP countries are currently spending on defense and where the new NATO standard lies.
Trump critical of obstructionist Spain
Spain was already obstructing before the start of the summit, because it did not want to commit to a higher NATO standard. As a diplomatic solution, NATO chief Mark Rutte came up with the idea that member states may spend 1.5 percent on matters that are in some way related to defense, such as infrastructure and cybersecurity.
According to Spain, the current agreement does not apply to that country. The final declaration is written in such a way that the Spaniards also wanted to sign it. They see room in the text to avoid the higher spending.
Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez said earlier that his country remains of the opinion that NATO can achieve its military goals for a lower amount than the 5 percent standard. Rutte has said several times in recent days that there is no exception for Spain. He thinks that the country will find out that it will have to spend more anyway.
“The only country that doesn’t pay,” Trump said about Spain after the NATO summit. “I think it’s terrible.” Trump threatens trade sanctions against Spain. “If we make a trade agreement, I’ll let Spain pay double,” the American president said. “They have to pay us back.”
However, it is not possible to simply impose trade sanctions on one EU country. Therefore, it is still unclear what Trump’s threat means in practice. The European Commission is negotiating on behalf of Spain and the other EU countries with the United States to find a solution to this trade conflict.
Trump more positive about NATO member states
Trump is more positive about the member states after the NATO summit. He went to the NATO summit “because he had to”, but he is leaving with a different feeling. “I saw the passion that everyone had for his country,” he said.
According to Trump, Europe is working to become stronger in the field of defense. The US wants to help with this, he said. “We have taken steps in the right direction.”
With a view to the war between Ukraine and Russia, Trump believes it is important that NATO countries spend more on defense. For example, the president stated that seven thousand people have died last week. It would mainly concern soldiers, but people in cities have also been affected. “Lives are lost. That shouldn’t happen.”
A Ukrainian journalist asked Trump at the press conference whether he would make air defense missiles available to Ukraine. “They are very difficult to get, but we are doing our best,” Trump said, as can be seen in the video below.
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