Trump scolds his allies, demands more spending
President Donald Trump ripped into Nato allies yesterday, slamming Germany for its dependence on Russian energy and demanding that nations double their military spending commitments.
European diplomats have been worried about continued US support for Nato. But even as Trump hit allies, he also signed on to efforts to strengthen the alliance against the Kremlin and other rivals, as well as a statement that the alliance does not accept Russia’s 2014 annexation of Crimea.
On spending, Trump insisted in a closed-door meeting of Nato leaders that the alliance increase its defence targets to 4 per cent of each country’s gross domestic product – more than what the United States channels toward its military. It was not clear whether he was serious about a new standard or whether he was using the number as a negotiating tactic to edge overall spending higher and get European nations to pay more.
The push came hours after Trump bashed Germany for ‘‘being captive to Russia’’ because it imports much of its natural gas from there. That tirade, over breakfast with Nato Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg, was rare in its bitterness.
‘‘We have to talk about the billions and billions of dollars that’s being paid to the country we’re supposed to be protecting you against,’’ Trump said, referring to European purchases of Russian natural gas.
Despite the contentiousness, Trump agreed to a 23-page declaration that Stoltenberg said would guide a more robust Nato defence for years to come. Other Nato leaders welcomed the decision, even as they said Trump’s divisive approach to his allies weakened the alliance. Stoltenberg sought to project unity at the conclusion of the first of two days of meetings in Brussels.
‘‘We do have disagreements, but most importantly, we have decisions that are pushing this alliance forward and making us stronger,’’ Stoltenberg said. ‘‘At the end of the day, we all agree that North America and Europe are safer together.’’
Nato leaders are still concerned that Trump will make concessions to Russian President Vladimir Putin when the two meet on Monday in Helsinki.
Trump has complained bitterly about Europe’s lagging defence spending, saying that Nato nations are taking advantage of US military largesse at the same time they are offering unfair trade terms to US businesses.
Only eight of 29 Nato countries are on track to meet pledges of spending 2 per cent of their GDPs on defence this year. Washington spent 3.6 per cent last year. When he has talked about it in recent days, Trump has rounded up to 4 per cent. And after yesterday’s meeting, he tweeted with a demand for countries to meet the current 2 per cent target.
‘‘President Trump wants to see our allies share more of the burden and at a very minimum meet their already stated obligations,’’ White House spokeswoman Sarah Huckabee Sanders said in a statement.
Several Nato experts dismissed the seriousness of the 4 per cent proposal.
‘‘No country in the world can meet that,’’ said Bobo Lo, a Russia scholar who attended the summit. ‘‘He’s asking for something outrageous, not in the hope of getting it, but in getting to 2 per cent or more.’’
An official present when Trump made the demand said that ‘‘the room was aghast’’, even though Trump was actually more cordial in private than in his public remarks. The official, like others, spoke on the condition of anonymity to describe the private proceedings.