February 14, 2024
- Summary
- Stoltenberg says NATO’s European members will together hit 2% defence spending target this year
- 18 of 31 NATO allies to meet or exceed the target in 2024
- NATO to send message as doubts on U.S. Ukraine support grow
- Germany to reach target for the first time
BRUSSELS/PARIS, Feb 14 (Reuters) – NATO said on Wednesday that Europe was meeting an alliance spending target and the United States needed allies, days after former U.S. President Donald Trump suggested that Washington might not protect countries that did not spend enough.
NATO chief Jens Stoltenberg also urged the Republican-controlled U.S. House of Representatives to pass a “vital” multi-billion dollar military aid package for Ukraine, warning lawmakers that China would be emboldened if Russia wins its war.
The transatlantic alliance’s European states would invest a combined total of $380 billion in defence this year, taking their spending as a whole to an estimated 2% of GDP in 2024 compared to 1.85% in 2023, Stoltenberg said.
Trump shocked Europeans on Saturday by implying that he would encourage Russia “to do whatever the hell they want” to NATO allies that did not spend enough. The 31 allies have committed to a target of spending 2% of their output on defence but not all have done so individually.
“I expect 18 allies to spend 2% of their GDP on defence this year,” Stoltenberg told a news conference in Brussels, adding overall military spending was set for another record year after two years of Russia’s full-fledged war against Ukraine.
The number was higher than last year, when 11 NATO members were expected to reach the agreed target.
Addressing journalists’ questions linked to the controversy around Trump’s comments, Stoltenberg said the United States knew how important the defence alliance is for its own security.
“The United States have never fought a war alone,” he said ahead of a NATO ministers’ meeting.
“The criticism we hear is not about NATO, it is about NATO allies not spending enough on NATO,” he added, saying the new hike in military spending by European allies was proof this message had been heard.
KEEPING THE UNITED STATES ON SIDE
Bracing for a possible second Trump presidency and as Washington struggles to pass a $95 billion military aid package for Ukraine and other allies, NATO diplomats are focused on keeping the alliance’s dominant military power invested in NATO and the protection of Europe.
“I count on the House of Representatives to agree support to Ukraine, because this is not charity. This is an investment in our own security,” Stoltenberg told Reuters in an interview.
“The European Union cannot defend Europe. Eighty percent of NATO’s defence expenditures come from non-EU NATO allies,” the secretary general also said.
In a historic first since the end of the Cold War, Berlin will meet the 2% target this year for the first time, allocating the equivalent of 71.8 billion euros ($76.8 billion) for defence spending this year through regular and special budget outlays. However, the sum of its total defence spending is classified.
France, the bloc’s only nuclear power, could follow suit.
With 413 billion euros planned for the next seven years, its 2024-2030 Military Programming Law substantially increases French defence spending. The new budget was initially expected to hit 2% of GDP from 2025, although sources have said that may be brought forward.
Speaking on condition of anonymity, diplomats said NATO’s new strategy would need to include further boosting European defence spending, addressing topics of strong U.S. interest such as China and the Indo-Pacific, and careful handling of Trump.
One said the approach would be a “combination of flattery and a firm hand”.
A leading national security adviser to Trump, Keith Kellogg, told Reuters on Tuesday that he would push for changes to NATO if the former president returns to power that could result in some member nations losing protection against an outside attack.
NATO members have been steadily increasing their defence spending since Russian forces annexed the southern Ukrainian peninsula of Crimea and entered Donbas in eastern Ukraine in 2014.
Additional reporting by Andrew Gray and Johnny Cotton, editing by Tassilo Hummel and Philippa Fletcher.
This should take this argument away from Trump. Now, each NATO member is paying its fair share.
But, the orange baboon will find other reasons to make himself sound like a jerk, I’m sure.
Only 18 of the 31 are “paying their fair share” and the number is up to 18 because of Trump’s complaining. I doubt the issue will go away because he will be busy patting himself on the back for it…and so will Stoltenberg, who’s happy as a lark with Trump.
It’s a start in the right direction. I admit that Trump is partially responsible for this positive development. I remember how glad I was when he fired up the asses of those freeloaders back when he was POTUS.
Now Trump has Europe where he wants them. Another sad victory for the orange idiot. France, the UK, Scandinavia and Portugal alone could fuck RuSSia beyond recognition, including nukes.
It’s a fake victory, because not Trump, but Putin made the Nato members realize that they have to spend more.
It’s a combination of both, Mr. Gray. Who knows if certain NATO members had ever achieved the 2% goal if it weren’t for the thought that Europe might have to fight alone. This war is a massive wake-up call to what horrors could one day come.
“House Intel Chairman announces ‘serious national security threat,’ sources say it is related to Russia”
“Turner is also calling on President Joe Biden to declassify “all information relating to this threat.””
And meanwhile we are quibbling over helping Ukraine?
https://edition.cnn.com/2024/02/14/politics/house-intel-chairman-serious-national-security-threat/index.html
Yeah, you just can’t make this crap up, can you?
At the end of the day it was Trump who pushed the issue and then the war put it over the edge. IMHO.
I still think Trump is a walking disaster IMHO
Trump is reckless. He promises to make America great again but our reputation is shrinking every fucking day.
That’s right, Mike.
When he was POTUS, he was acceptable. But, since then, some sort of parasites have been eating away his brain.
Nope. Only Putin. Nobody in Europe lets Trump order him/her around.
Trump’s blather caused barely a stir back then. Trump’s blather plus the war was what was needed to wake up all those sleeping un-beauties.
In 2006 Nato set a target that EACH member nation would spend 2% of its gdp on military expenditures. EIGHT YEAS LATER in 2014 only two non US Nato members met the 2% target (United Kingdom, Greece). By 2017 three years after Russia took over Crimea, only four non US Nato members met the target (UK, Greece, Poland, Croatia). In 2022 even after the major invasion of Ukraine only eight non US Nato countries spent 2% of their gdp on defense. In 2023 a year after the Invasion of Ukraine, only 9 of 29 non US Nato countries met the 2% target (UK, Greece, Poland, Romania, Latvia, Lithuania, Estonia, Slovakia, and new member Finland). Please note many of the Nato’s richer economies are NOT on this list (Germany, France, Italy, Spain, Canada etc.)
Even with the alleged increases in 2024, at least 11 out of 29 non US Nato countries will still NOT be meeting the 2%individual country target set EIGHTEEN years earlier.
In 1989 near the end of the cold war, non US Nato members in average spent 3% of their gdp on military expenditures versus 6% for the US. Obviously Non US Nato countries have been free loading off of US taxpayers for most of Nato’s existence but particularly for the last three decades. This unfair and unbalanced burden sharing may be one of the factors leading to a growth in isolationist sentiment by some taxpayers in the US.
Clearly some countries have and are increasing military spending as a response to Russian aggression in Ukraine. It is likely that US “jawboning” behind doors under the Bush 2 and Obama administrations as well as open pressure by the previous Trump administration has had some effect on non US Nato countries increasing their military spending as well. Regardless the general increase in military spending by non US Nato countries must continue and accelerate to ensure that US taxpayers weary of forever wars and unfair burden sharing will continue to support Ukraine and Nato.
You are 100% right. For many years, it angered me to know that many NATO members were like parasites. I was glad back then when Trump fired up their asses. It changed little. Now, many more have or are waking up to reality. Sadly, it took this horrible war to do so, although some should still be shaken and japslapped.