Trump asks NATO allies to spend more on defense, but remains silent that Russia is the reason - NYT
Kyiv • UNN
US President Donald Trump demands that NATO allies increase defense spending, but does not name the reason, although Russia is the reason. The NATO summit in The Hague will focus on increasing military spending, but the issue of Russia will be avoided so as not to irritate Trump.
US President Donald Trump, using ultimatums, forces NATO allies to spend more on maintaining the Alliance and defending the region, but remains silent about the reasons why Europe and other members of the bloc should do so. This is reported by The New York Times, according to UNN.
And the reason is Russia. But at a summit dedicated to making President Trump "happy," discussion of the issue is expected to be "muted." When NATO leaders meet in The Hague on Tuesday, much will be said about President Trump and his efforts to contain Iran. But Russia will be "the elephant in the room"
Details
Any doubts about the advisability of war in Iran or American intervention are expected to remain behind the scenes of the NATO summit in The Hague, not only because most allies do not want Tehran to have a bomb, but also because the summit was structured to avoid irritating Trump. The announced ceasefire, if it holds, should also help calm anxieties.
For NATO, the main issue is Russia, which is at the center of the meeting focused on increasing military spending. But it will also be an uncomfortable backdrop as member countries tiptoe around the American president with his notably ambiguous relationship with Moscow.
Trump has repeatedly throughout his first presidential term and now demanded that NATO members start spending much more money on defense, but he does not say what exactly these new expenditures are aimed at.
Alliance Secretary General Mark Rutte has no doubts - this is done to deter "to the teeth" militarized Russia, which is already fighting on NATO's borders - in Ukraine. With some exaggeration, he recently told the British that they either spend what NATO asks "on the security of our societies," or "you better learn to speak Russian."
In April, Rutte said: "We all in NATO agree that Russia is a long-term threat to NATO territory, to the entire Euro-Atlantic area."
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But that's not entirely true.
Trump has periodically expressed frustration with Russian President Vladimir Putin for resisting a ceasefire in Ukraine. But he refused to impose sanctions on Russia or even acknowledge that Russia is guilty of invading Ukraine. He wants to restore economic and diplomatic relations with Moscow and constantly humiliates and undermines the authority of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.
Last week at the G7 summit in Canada, Trump left early, complained that Russia was not part of the group, and canceled a meeting with Zelenskyy. Trump is expected to make his visit to The Hague just as short, less than 24 hours. This will be the first NATO leaders' summit of his second term.
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The summit was supposed to adopt a new NATO strategy regarding Russia and the Russian threat, replacing the approach adopted in the late 1990s, when the alliance viewed Russia as a potential partner. But the new strategy was canceled at Washington's insistence to avoid conflict with Trump and his still futile attempts to negotiate with Russia on Ukraine.
Similarly, a meeting of the NATO-Ukraine Council, where alliance leaders will meet with Zelenskyy, is no longer in prospect, given Trump's ambiguous attitude towards the Ukrainian leader. Although a meeting of lower-level ministers is expected.
New spending targets should be the main goal and outcome of this short summit. It will begin on Tuesday with a dinner hosted by the Dutch royal family and conclude with one morning session on Wednesday, after which a historically short communiqué is expected to be released.
The role of Ukrainian leader Zelenskyy has significantly diminished compared to recent summits where his struggle with Russia was in the spotlight. But, according to two high-ranking European officials, he agreed to come after some hesitation. He will attend the dinner and hold bilateral meetings.
In general, the summit organizers did everything possible to please Trump, in order to preserve the bloc's format and not spoil relations with a key NATO ally - the United States, on whose cooperation Europe is now very dependent.
Recall
The White House confirmed that US President Donald Trump, despite previous reports, plans to meet with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy during the NATO summit in The Hague.
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