EU warns Trump: “Trade war threatens defense spending”
Kyiv • UNN
European Commissioner Stefan Sejourne said that a trade war with the US would make it impossible to achieve NATO's new defense spending targets. Trump is demanding an increase in spending to 5% of GDP, while the EU cannot exceed 3% due to budgetary constraints.
The EU warns US President-elect Donald Trump that a trade war with the US will make it difficult to increase defense spending to meet NATO's new goals.
Writes UNN with reference to Politico.
Hours before Donald Trump's inauguration, European Commissioner for Industry Stefan Sejourne warned that Europe would not be able to achieve more ambitious defense spending targets if a trade war broke out.
Sejourne noted that he supports the need to increase investment in European defense capabilities, but stressed that the implementation of these plans would be impossible if the trade conflict with the United States escalates.
Since his first term, Trump has constantly criticized European countries for insufficient defense funding, accusing them of “free” use of NATO under the American security umbrella. He even suggested the possibility of the US withdrawing from the transatlantic alliance.
We cannot do this when we have a trade war on our doorstep and national budgets everywhere are unable to increase defense spending by more than 3%
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NATO requires its members to allocate 2% of GDP to defense, but this figure may increase during the June summit in The Hague. Last week, NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte said that the new figure is likely to exceed 3%.
Meanwhile, Donald Trump recently said that NATO countries should spend 5% of their GDP on defense, which is significantly higher than the current target of 2%. His proposal provoked a mixed reaction: Italy and Germany called it unrealistic, while Poland and Lithuania, which already spend more on defense per capita, supported the idea. At the same time, even the United States has not yet reached this level of spending.
The planned increase in defense spending may be unattainable in the event of a trade war. Donald Trump has been actively proposing protectionist measures, including universal tariffs on imports, criticizing the EU for not buying enough American cars and agricultural products. He has also repeatedly expressed dissatisfaction with the large number of German cars on the streets of Manhattan.
Recall
Today, Donald Trump officially takes office as President of the United States. European countries are closely watching his statements on tariff increases, withdrawal from climate agreements, and plans for Ukraine. In addition, the EU is already preparing for potential changes in transatlantic relations and looking for ways to avoid conflicts.
