US President-elect Donald Trump is calling on NATO member states to significantly increase their defense spending. Instead of the previously targeted two percent of their gross domestic product (GDP), the partner countries should invest five percent in the future, the Republican said at a press conference at his Mar-a-Lago property in Florida and added: “They can all afford it.”
With this demand, Trump confirmed corresponding media reports from the end of December. NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte had already indicated that he expected increased pressure from Trump on this issue.
The Republican had announced during the election campaign that he wanted to work within NATO to ensure that all alliance members spent three percent of their gross domestic product on defense in the future. Now he increased his demands even further. The current NATO target only provides for a minimum quota of two percent. There was initially no reaction from NATO in Brussels to Trump’s request.
Donald Trump’s return to the White House fuels NATO debate
During his first term in office (2017 to 2021), Trump threatened to withdraw the USA from the military alliance if the partner countries did not fulfill their obligation to invest at least two percent of GDP in defense. At his press conference, Trump boasted that it was only because of his pressure that the NATO partners increased their spending – only because he had threatened to no longer protect the countries otherwise.
The start of Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine in February 2022 had given new urgency to the debate over defense spending.
According to NATO estimates for 2024, around two thirds of the 32 NATO states should achieve the two percent target. The federal government has reported defense spending of around 90.6 billion euros to the alliance for 2024. According to estimates from June, this could correspond to a GDP share of around 2.1 percent. According to NATO estimates for 2024, the USA itself recently had a spending share of 3.38 percent – well below five percent.
In NATO, most member states would have preferred an election victory for US Vice President Kamala Harris, who ran for the Democrats against Trump. Trump’s statements in the past had raised doubts about whether the United States would fully support its commitment under his leadership.
Trump will be sworn in as president on January 20th.
