Donald Trump is set to demand that NATO countries increase their defence spending to 3% of GDP as the price for further US commitment to European defence, according to The Telegraph.
Trump was reportedly inspired by Polish President Andrzej Duda during their recent meeting in New York. The newspaper cites a source close to the former (and possible future) American president. In this way, Trump is said to have picked up on President Duda’s initiative to increase the threshold for defence spending from 2 to 3% of GDP, which he announced just before his March visit to the White House. More: https://www.britishpoles.uk/president-andrzej-duda-met-donald-trump-in-new-york/
🔴 EXCLUSIVE: Donald Trump thinks member states should be asked to contribute more to Nato’s collective defence in light of threats from Russia and China.
Read more ⤵️https://t.co/BdRXG0t5LB pic.twitter.com/SoxTFVaEUl
— Telegraph US (@TelegraphUS) May 3, 2024
The Telegraph notes that such a requirement would be troublesome for many European countries, considering that currently only three NATO countries spend more than 3% of GDP on defence, namely Poland, the USA, and Greece. The newspaper also highlights that during his visit to Poland, British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak pledged to increase spending, but only to the level of 2.5%, and anyway not earlier than by 2030.
Donald Trump is considering ramping up his demand for military spending by Nato members from 2% to 3% of GDP, The Times has been told ⬇️ https://t.co/wKJVmXqV3b
— The Times and The Sunday Times (@thetimes) May 3, 2024
In November, Americans will be electing a new president. As of early May, Donald Trump is the favourite in this important race. The popular businessman repeatedly assured that if he made his way back to the White House, he would achieve a much-needed ceasefire in Ukraine.
The candidate of the Republicans even claimed that if he would have remained president following the 2020 elections against incumbent President Joe Biden, there would not have been a war in Ukraine in the first place.
Image: X (@wgospodarce)
Author: Sébastien Meuwissen
