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According to the executive director of the Summit’s first alliance, designed to form the US president, Donald Trump’s commitment to NATO should not worry about his allies as long as they significantly increase their defense spending.
Many European allies, including Germany, France and the UK, are committed to achieving Trump’s new target of 5% of GDP on defense over the next decade, but Spain has secured an opt-out that increases the likelihood of a clash at the NAGO leaders’ meeting in The Hague on Wednesday.
NATO Executive Director Mark Latte said Tuesday that if allies spend more, they can ensure that Trump will not withdraw the assurances that have supported the continent’s security for decades.
“There is a full commitment to NATO by the US President,” Latte said before the event. “But we hope we will address this.
“My message to my European colleagues is, don’t stop worrying so much. Stop running around worrying about America. They’ll be with us,” he added.
To meet Trump’s demands, Latte has created an alliance plan to allocate 3.5% of GDP to core military spending and 1.5% in areas such as cyber and infrastructure, to fill European capabilities.
However, Spain has secured opt-out by refusing to commit to a 5% overall target and pledging to achieve its NATO capabilities goal.
Other capitals also demanded the same “flexibility” that Latte granted Madrid, increasing the risk that the summit would end with condemnation, and sparking Trump’s rage what he sees as a European ally in America’s Larges.
Last week, Trump cited Spain as “notorious” for not spending enough, saying NATO needs to “deal with” the country. “Spain was a very low payer. Spain has to pay what everyone else has to pay,” he told reporters.
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Latte said the increase in spending not only softens Trump, but also ensures Europe stands up against revivalist Russia.
Moscow “we could try something” to NATO members in “3, 5, 7 years,” Latte said.
“We know that Russia is really reconfiguring itself at speed.
“We need to spend 5%… We hope to get there,” Latte added. “If you want to avoid war, spend more.”
