Politics
NATO Secretary-General Admits Trump Criticism Was Justified
NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg has stated that former President Donald Trump’s criticism of member states for not contributing enough to the strategic alliance is justified.
During a press briefing ahead of an alliance meeting in Brussels on Wednesday, Stoltenberg admitted that several NATO countries were not achieving their budgetary commitments. Trump recently made the same point, before controversially stating that he would “encourage” Russia to strike allies who do not pay their fair amount.
Stoltenberg stated on Wednesday that 18 of the 31 NATO nations were meeting their spending target of contributing at least 2% of GDP into the alliance, up from 12 in July 2023.
“NATO allies not spending enough on NATO…[is] a valid point,” Stoltenberg stated. “And it’s a point and the message that has been conveyed by successive U.S. administrations, that European allies and Canada have to spend more because we haven’t seen fair burden sharing in the alliance.”
“The good news is that that’s exactly what NATO Allies are doing,” he told Newsweek. “More and more partners are getting closer to 2 percent and pledging to be there shortly… This message has had an impact. European friends and Canada have stepped up, and I expect them to continue to do so.
During a presidential campaign event in South Carolina on Saturday, Trump mentioned a conversation with “one of the presidents of” a NATO ally.
The unnamed leader reportedly asked Trump if the United States would satisfy its NATO responsibility to defend the country against a future Russian invasion, despite having supposedly not paid the required amount into the alliance.
“I said, ‘You didn’t pay, you’re delinquent?'” Trump informed his followers on Saturday. “In fact, I would encourage Russia to do whatever the heck they want. You’ve got to pay. “You need to pay your bills.”
Stoltenberg swiftly condemned Trump’s words, warning that encouraging Russia to potentially attack “delinquent” NATO nations would “put American and European soldiers at increased risk.”
President Joe Biden condemned Trump’s words as “appalling and dangerous,” claiming that the former president sought to give Russian President Vladimir Putin “a green light for more war and violence.”
Several Republican senators, including Lindsey Graham, Rand Paul, and Thom Tillis, spoke out against Trump.
Former UN Ambassador Nikki Haley said in a Fox News interview that Trump was “making Joe Biden sound sane,” describing his words as “unhinged chaos.”
NATO numbers for 2023 reveal that the United States paid the second-highest share of its GDP into the alliance, at 3.49 percent, with Poland paying the highest at 3.9%.
However, because the United States has the world’s largest GDP, it contributes significantly more absolute funding to NATO than any other member state.
