Donald Trump, the president-elect of the United States, said that NATO countries should spend five percent of their gross domestic product on defense. He also expressed hope that the war in Ukraine will end within six months. He also stated that Joe Biden’s policy was the reason for Russia’s aggression against Ukraine.
Trump spoke about the war in Ukraine and the pact at a news conference at his Mar-a-Lago estate in Florida on Tuesday. The story of one of the NATO summits, when one of the leaders asked him if the US would protect “those who don’t pay their bills”, Trump indicated that the spending limit was then two percent of GDP, but should be five percent. When asked if he wanted to increase defense spending to that level, Trump answered in the affirmative.
– Well, I think NATO should be five percent. You cannot do this (defend yourself – ed.) with two percent. If you have a country with a regular military, it should be four percent, but if you are in a dangerous area, it should be five percent – they can all pay it – said Trump.
He also suggested that countries that don’t meet those requirements won’t be protected by the United States because “that’s how it works in real life.”
Currently, no NATO country spends more than five percent of its GDP on defense, and the closest country to that is Poland, which is expected to spend 4.7 percent this year. According to NATO, the United States spends about 3.3 percent.
Trump on Russia’s attack on Ukraine
During the conference, Trump also suggested that Ukraine should never join this agreement and expressed his understanding of Russia’s demands in this regard. He also stated that Joe Biden’s decision to reject Ukraine’s future accession to NATO was the reason for Russia’s aggression.
– They said that it was carved in stone for them. But at one point, Biden said, no, they should join NATO. Well, if Russia is someone on their doorstep, I understand their feelings about that, Trump said. He added that “to his understanding” there was an agreement that would have satisfied both Russia and Ukraine and protected Ukraine from Russian aggression, but was blocked by Biden.
Trump said he wanted to meet with Vladimir Putin as soon as possible and expressed regret that he would not be able to do so before the start of his second term. He added that he hopes to end the war “well before the end of the year”, noting that both sides are suffering heavy casualties.
Main image source: NATO
