Former United States President Donald Trump said yesterday that he would “encourage” Russia to “do whatever the hell it wants” with NATO allies that do not meet their commitment to spend 2% of their GDP on Defense. At a campaign rally in Conway, South Carolina, he recalled a conversation he had during his term with the leader of a “large European country” in the Atlantic Alliance who asked him if he would defend them if attacked. for Russia. “Didn’t you pay? Are you criminals?” Trump responded: “Well no, I wouldn’t protect you.”
With these incendiary statements, which have provoked the denunciation of the White House and European and NATO leaders, the Republican candidate went one step further in his usual criticism of member countries that fail to comply with what was agreed at the Wales summit of the 2014, where they committed to allocate 2% of their GDP in military spending. Only 8 of the 31 allies reach that percentage. During his term, Trump proposed doubling this spending to 4%, above what Washington currently allocates, around 3.4%.
The threat to breach Article 5 of the Alliance treaty, which mandates collective defense in the event that any member is attacked, is the latest example of the isolationism proposed as a model for the country’s foreign policy, in contrast to the vision of his only rival in the primaries, the former US ambassador to the UN Nikki Haley, and of Joe Biden. In the four years she occupied the Oval Office, she threatened on multiple occasions to cut NATO funding, and even abandon it, arguing that Washington does not have to pay for the protection of all allies.
Trump’s latest occurrence provoked an immediate reaction from the Administration. “Encouraging the invasion of our closest allies by murderous regimes is egregious and unhinged, and endangers American national security, global stability and our economy,” denounced a White House spokesman, Andrew Bates. “Instead of calling for war and promoting chaos, President Biden will continue to strengthen American leadership and defend our national security interests, not attack them.”
Since shortly after Russia invaded Ukraine in February 2022, Trump has criticized US involvement in the defense of Kyiv and pressured Republicans to block aid. His solution is for the country to “reach an agreement” to end the war with transfers of territory to Russia. Washington has sent $44 billion in financial and military assistance to Ukraine, according to Pentagon data, but the flow of money has dried up. Approval of more aid is stalled in Congress. In his usual fear speech, Trump defines himself as the only presidential candidate capable of “avoiding a third world war.” He usually argues that during his term there were no wars in Ukraine or the Middle East, and boasts of his good relationship with Vladimir Putin or Kim Jong Un, and even of his negotiating ability with the Taliban in Afghanistan.
But his latest statements fuel fears in the Western bloc that Russia will not stop in Ukraine and dare to invade another European country if Trump wins the elections in November.
The forceful reaction of the Secretary General of the Atlantic Alliance, Jens Stoltenberg, reflects the deep consternation that Trump’s serious statements have caused among the allies. “NATO remains prepared and capable of defending all its allies. “Any attack on NATO will receive a united and strong response,” Stoltenberg said. “Any suggestion that the allies will not defend each other undermines the security of all of us, including that of the United States, and increases the risks for European and American troops,” stressed the Secretary General of the Alliance. “I hope that he wins. “Whoever wins the presidential elections, the United States will continue to be a strong and committed partner of NATO,” he concluded.
The statement from the allied secretary general is unprecedented, taking into account the context of the electoral campaign in the United States. But Trump’s comments about the value he gives to the military organization go further than he ever suggested, by not hiding their collusion with the objectives of Putin’s Russia, and confirm the worst fears that European leaders have expressed privately in recent weeks.
“NATO’s motto of ‘one for all and all for one’ is a very concrete commitment. Weakening the credibility of allied countries means weakening the entire Alliance. “No elections are an excuse to play with NATO security,” tweeted Polish Defense Minister Wladyslaw Kosiniak-Kamysz.
The enthusiastic response from the public at the rally in which Trump recreated that supposed conversation with an allied leader is in line with the latest polls among Republican voters about their vision of US foreign policy, which redouble the arguments of leaders and analysts. Europeans who are committed to preparing for a withdrawal from the country and strengthening their own defense capabilities. The president of the European Council, Charles Michel, expressed himself in this sense yesterday. “Irresponsible comments about NATO security and Article 5 solidarity only serve Putin’s interests. They do not bring more security to the world. On the contrary, they once again emphasize the need for the EU to urgently promote the development of its strategic autonomy and invest in its defense” and, at the same time, “maintain the strength of the Alliance.”
It is the old idea that is gaining ground in the discussions in Brussels, betting on the “Europeanization of NATO” starting by strengthening the military capacity of the allies to assume a leadership and counterweight role against the US, a new version of the idea of ??European strategic autonomy that makes it clear that this internal reinforcement is done with a view to weighing more within the Alliance, not to replace it. “We cannot cast lots for our security every four years, depending on the result of an election, especially those in the United States,” defended the European Commissioner for the Internal Market, Thierry Breton, in an interview on French television.
But, whether elected or not, Trump is already conditioning the West’s strategy of support for Ukraine.
