Latest news with #defenseSpending
Fox News
4 hours ago
- Business
- Fox News
Trump's NATO Turnaround: From threatening to pull US out to 'daddy' of the alliance
President Donald Trump delivered a resounding endorsement of NATO this week, marking a sharp turnaround in his years-long, often contentious relationship with the alliance. Once known for blasting allies over defense spending and even threatening to pull out of NATO altogether, Trump now appears to have had a change of heart. "I left here differently. I left here saying that these people really love their countries," Trump said after the 2025 NATO summit in The Hague. The pivot comes as NATO nations more than doubled their collective defense spending target – raising the bar from 2% to 5% of GDP. The president's renewed embrace of the alliance follows years of friction, high-profile clashes with world leaders and controversial comments. Yet at this year's summit, the tone was strikingly different. Trump was welcomed by Dutch royals, praised by the NATO secretary-general – who even referred to him as "daddy" – and returned home lauding European allies for their patriotism. "It's not a rip-off, and we're here to help them," Trump told reporters. The transformation is as dramatic as it is unexpected. Trump arrived at the NATO summit on a high note, following U.S. strikes that crippled Iran's nuclear infrastructure. According to American and allied intelligence sources, the operation set back Tehran's nuclear ambitions by several years. The strike was widely seen as both a show of strength and a strategic warning – not just to Iran but to NATO adversaries like Russia and China. "He really came in from this power move," said Giedrimas Jeglinskas, a former NATO official and current chairman of Lithuania's national security committee. "Among some, definitely Eastern Europe, Central Europe, Nordic Europe, this attack, the use of those really sophisticated weapons and bombers, was the rebuilding of the deterrence narrative of the West, not just of America." Trump repeatedly called NATO "obsolete," questioning its relevance and slamming allies for failing to pay their "fair share." "It's costing us too much money... We're paying disproportionately. It's too much," he said in March 2016. He criticized NATO for lacking focus on terrorism, later taking credit when it created a chief intelligence post. Trump softened his tone after becoming president. "We strongly support NATO," he said after visiting Central Command. "We only ask that all members make their full and proper financial contribution." He continued to push for members to meet the 2% target by 2024. Trump privately threatened to pull the U.S. from NATO unless allies increased spending. "Now we are in World War III protecting a country that wasn't paying its bills," he warned. Despite the posturing, he called NATO a "fine-tuned machine" after extracting new spending commitments. He also accused Germany of being a "captive of Russia" over the Nord Stream 2 pipeline. The drama continued, this time with French President Emmanuel Macron calling NATO "brain-dead." "NATO serves a great purpose. I think that's very insulting," Trump responded. He also clashed with Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau – calling him "two-faced" after Trudeau was caught mocking Trump on camera. Trump ordered 12,000 U.S. troops out of Germany, citing Berlin's defense shortfalls. Trump ignited backlash after suggesting he'd let Russia "do whatever the hell they want" to NATO countries that failed to meet spending obligations. The remark sparked urgent contingency talks among European leaders about the future of the alliance if the U.S. did not step up to its defense. The 2025 summit in The Hague unfolded with surprising calm. Trump's hosts rolled out the red carpet. "He's the man of the hour and the most important man in the world," Jeglinskas said. Jeglinskas credited Trump's blunt diplomacy – however unorthodox – for helping drive real reform "He's brought in tectonic change to the alliance's capabilities by... being himself," he added. "It's a gift for the alliance." Experts agree NATO's recent revitalization stems from two major catalysts: Russia's 2022 invasion of Ukraine and Trump's relentless pressure on allies to boost defense. "President Trump is riding high this week with two major foreign policy victories," said Matthew Kroenig, vice president at the Atlantic Council's Scowcroft Center, referencing NATO and the recent U.S. strikes on Iran's nuclear program. "It's terrific. I hope he can keep it up." He added, "Every president since Eisenhower has complained that NATO allies aren't doing their fair share." Now, Trump was the one who finally got them to listen, he said.
Daily Mail
16 hours ago
- Business
- Daily Mail
White House's thinly-veiled threat to Albanese over defense spending
Australia should boost its defense spending in line with NATO partners, according to a new diktat from the White House which sets Anthony Albanese on a collision course with Donald Trump , who he is yet to meet. Members of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization - which Australia is not a part of - agreed to lift their defense spending to 5 percent of GDP over 10 years during a summit in The Hague, the Netherlands, this week. The move was triggered by pressure from the US President who had has long called for European allies to boost their defense spending. It was a win for Trump who had his ego massaged at the meeting of world leaders when Nato Chief Mark Rutte referred to him as 'daddy'. But now the US Commander-in-Chief has indicated he expects his allies in the Asia-Pacific - including Australia - to also increase their defense funding. 'Yeah, look, if our allies in Europe and our NATO allies can do that, I think our allies and our friends in the Asia Pacific region can do it as well,' White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said on Friday. Ms Leavitt said she would leave the 'specific relations and discussions' for individual countries to Trump. This means that Albanese may be pressured to increase defense spending if he hopes to secure a carve-out from the punishing tariffs imposed by the US on imports, including a 50 percent levy on steel and aluminum. He will also be hoping to shore up the $368bn AUKUS submarine deal, which is currently under threat from a 30-day review by the Pentagon. But Albanese rebuffed the call to increase defense spending on Friday morning, insisting his government would not deviate from the levels they outlined in the March budget, which aims to reach 2.3 per cent over the next ten years. 'We continue to invest in whatever capabilities Australia needs – we'll continue to do that,' Albanese told reporters. 'My job is to look after Australia's national interest, which includes our defense and security interests, and that's precisely what we are doing.' Spain was the only NATO member not to agree to lift its defense spending above 2.1 percent of GDP, with Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez arguing it was 'incompatible with our welfare state and our vision of the world'. This triggered Trump's ire, with the US President vowing to hit Spain with higher tariffs. 'They want a little bit of a free ride, but they'll have to pay it back to us on trade, because I'm not going to let that happen,' Trump said. Albanese's planned meeting with Trump at the G7 summit in Canada failed to eventuate when the US President had to dash back to Washington to deal with the Israel-Iran crisis. Many had expected him to go in Deputy Prime Minister Richard Marles place to the NATO summit this week to secure a meeting but instead he stayed in Australian. Marles risked Trump's ire by insisting Australia would not follow NATO members by lifting its defense spending to five percent of GDP. 'Look, obviously, a very significant decision has been made here in relation to European defense spending, and that is fundamentally a matter for NATO,' Marles said. 'We've gone through our own process of assessing our strategic landscape, assessing the threats that exist there, and the kind of defense force we need to build in order to meet those threats, to meet the strategic moment, and then to resource that. Marles did not speak directly with Mr Trump, nor US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, despite intensive efforts by government officials to tee up a first face-to-face meeting of an Australian minister with the US President.
Russia Today
a day ago
- Business
- Russia Today
Moscow flags flaws in NATO's defense planning
NATO expects a military conflict with Russia within the next five years yet plans to raise defense spending to 5% of GDP only by 2035, a timeline that Russian Foreign Ministry official Vladislav Maslennikov pointed out as contradictory during a Valdai Discussion Club session on Friday. At a summit held in The Hague this week, members of the US-led bloc pledged to increase defense spending to 5% of GDP by 2035, citing what they described as the 'long-term threat posed by Russia to Euro-Atlantic security.' US President Donald Trump, who has consistently pressed European allies to take on more of the defense burden, welcomed the deal as a 'monumental win.' Maslennikov, who heads up the ministry's Department for European Cooperation questioned how the bloc justifies a distant spending target while simultaneously anticipating a near-term confrontation. 'It's not just the logic that's flawed — the arithmetic doesn't add up either,' Maslennikov said. 'If the public is being told that Russia is expected to launch an attack by 2030, then why is the European Union only aiming to be fully prepared by 2035? It doesn't make much sense,' he argued. Another challenge NATO faces on defense policy is the lack of a unified stance among member states regarding dialogue with Russia, Maslennikov believes. While some EU nations see engagement as necessary, others advocate for cutting ties with Russia entirely. 'Some want to rule out any possibility of future dialogue with us, while others acknowledge that, sooner or later, constructive engagement will be necessary – after all, geography cannot be changed,' Maslennikov said. According to the diplomat, the so-called 'Russian threat' is a 'highly convenient construct for NATO.' Moscow believes reversing this narrative will be difficult and it has no intention of making the first move toward restoring constructive engagement. 'Much will depend on how our relationship with the United States evolves,' he stressed. Russian President Vladimir Putin dismissed the rhetoric about the threat posed by Russia to NATO as an 'inconceivable lie' used by Western governments to justify tax increases and the diversion of public funds to the military-industrial complex. Speaking at the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum last week, Putin warned that this kind of military posturing only escalates global tensions while diverting resources from social and economic needs.
Bloomberg
a day ago
- Politics
- Bloomberg
Europe Playing for Time on Defense: Max Hastings
"I have serious doubts whether any of these terrific projections are going to be met," says Bloomberg Opinion Columnist Max Hastings, on the latest NATO spending goals. "It's very difficult for European politicians to get voters to sign up for defense spending," he adds. (Source: Bloomberg)
NHK
a day ago
- Politics
- NHK
White House: Asia-Pacific allies can increase defense spending if NATO can
A White House spokesperson has suggested that US allies in the Asia-Pacific region should be able to raise their defense spending if NATO member countries can. NATO agreed at a meeting in The Hague earlier this week that members will raise their defense and related spending to 5 percent of GDP. White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt told reporters on Thursday, "This will be the most significant reinforcement of NATO's collective defense in the history of the NATO alliance." She stressed that as a result, the US will carry less burden and its NATO allies will be stronger than ever before. When asked if Trump would demand that Asia-Pacific allies increase their defense spending, she said, "If our allies in Europe and our NATO allies can do it, I think our allies and our friends in the Asia-Pacific region can do it as well." The US Defense Department has indicated that US allies in Asia, including Japan, need to raise their defense spending to 5 percent of GDP.
