Most countries fail to meet the Alliance’s target of allocating 2% of GDP to military spending. Pre-candidate for the White House, the main guarantor of NATO, the Republican said he will encourage Moscow to “do what it wants”, while former American president and pre-candidate for re-election Donald Trump said he will “encourage” Russia to “do whatever he wants”. “do whatever they want” with any of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) member countries that have not met the military spending targets set by the alliance.
During a pre-campaign event this Saturday (10/02) in Conway, South Carolina, Trump alluded to an alleged and unspecified NATO meeting during his time as president of the United States, where would have heard from a head of state of a “major country” confessing that he would not meet the alliance’s goal of allocating 2% of GDP to military spending.
“’And if we don’t pay and we get attacked by Russia, will you protect us?’” Trump paraphrased, referring to the question he says he heard from that head of state. “I said, ‘You haven’t paid? Do you have debt?'”
“‘No, I wouldn’t protect you. In fact, I would encourage them [a Rússia] do whatever the hell they want,'” said the former occupant of the White House between 2017 and 2021.
Trump’s statement aroused apprehension among the members of the alliance, since what characterizes NATO is precisely the commitment to defend any member country of the alliance that is attacked, and above all European countries fear the consequences of a possible defeat of Ukraine by Russia.
The trend of cuts in military spending, inaugurated with the end of the Cold War, was interrupted in 2014 after Russia annexed part of the territory of Ukraine. That year, NATO member countries agreed to increase these sums again until reaching the target of 2% of GDP by 2024.
In 2014, three countries reached this level of military spending. In 2022, the year of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, the number rose to seven of the alliance’s current 31 members, according to NATO.
Trump’s comments come as Ukraine struggles with its war efforts to repel a Russian invasion and a blockade of U.S. aid to the country by Republicans in Congress, who are pushing for tougher measures against immigrants.
The White House reacts and says the comment is ‘shocking and crazy’
The White House, currently occupied by Democrat and pre-reelection candidate Joe Biden, reacted to Trump’s comments by saying that “encouraging invasions against our greatest allies by murderous regimes” is “shocking and crazy” and that endangers global stability, and the national security and economy of the United States.
The Republican Party’s favorite presidential candidate and well positioned in polls on voting intentions, Trump has long been a critic of NATO and what he considers an excessive financial burden on the United States to guarantee the defense of 30 other countries.
In the past, he has made other comments questioning the value of NATO and American aid to Ukraine. The United States is the Eastern European country’s biggest supporter, having sent more than $75 billion (R$372 billion) to Kiev since the invasion, according to NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg, while other countries have contributed together with more than 100 billion dollars (R$495 billion).
Regardless of Trump’s return to the White House, European allies fear the United States is becoming less reliable. Some have been outspoken about the need to increase military spending and are outlining plans for an alternative alliance scenario without the Americans.
Germany’s federal chancellor, Kiev’s second biggest supporter, Olaf Scholz, recently told German newspaper Die Zeit that the country could not support Ukraine on its own without the United States.
Trump faces more than 90 charges in court for trying to overturn the election he lost, for illegally keeping state secrets after leaving office and for making illicit payments to a porn actress. He denies all charges.
ra (Reuters, AP, ots)
Source: Terra
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