Trump leaves open the possibility of future US spending on NATO

(CLO) U.S. President Donald Trump said on Thursday that he was unsure whether the U.S. should spend anything on NATO.

Speaking to reporters after signing an executive order at the White House, Trump reiterated his demand that NATO member states increase their defense spending to 5% of GDP, significantly higher than the current commitment of 2%. Currently, no NATO country, including the United States, has reached this spending level.

The NATO emblem. Photo: CC

"I'm not sure how much we should spend, but we're certainly helping them," Trump said. "We're protecting them, but they're not protecting us." Trump had made a similar statement in a speech at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, earlier.

Currently, the US contributes 15.8% of NATO's annual budget, equivalent to approximately $3.5 billion, the highest amount, on par with Germany, according to the alliance's 2024 figures. However, the US's indirect contribution, including military spending and force deployment, is much larger and is not included in NATO's official budget.

In 2023, the US defense budget reached $816.7 billion, accounting for more than half of the total military spending of the entire NATO bloc.

Despite Trump's tough rhetoric, U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio held talks with NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte on Wednesday, reaffirming the U.S. commitment to the alliance. The two sides also discussed strengthening defense capabilities and sharing the burden more equitably, according to a statement from the U.S. State Department .

NATO officials and analysts believe that Trump's proposal to increase defense spending to 5% of GDP is unlikely to be implemented, but NATO may consider raising its spending target to a higher level than the current one.

Some analysts suggest that the new contribution level could be set at around 3% of GDP, instead of the current 2%. However, increasing spending even to this level would be a significant challenge for many member states, as eight countries have yet to reach the 2% target despite having committed to it a decade ago.

Discussions about increasing NATO defense spending are driven by concerns about Russia, particularly following the conflict in Ukraine.

Cao Phong (according to NPR, CNN, Time)

Source: https://www.congluan.vn/ong-trump-bo-ngo-kha-nang-chi-tieu-cua-my-cho-nato-trong-tuong-lai-post331799.html