ISLAMABAD: The United States (US) President-elect, Donald Trump’s team has informed European officials that the incoming US president will insist NATO members boost their defence spending to five per cent of GDP, while also maintaining military support for Ukraine.
As Trump solidifies his policies towards Europe and Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, the US president-elect’s closest foreign policy advisors discussed his plans with top European officials this month, according to those familiar with the meetings, Financial Times reported.
During his White House campaign, Trump vowed to cut off aid to Ukraine, force Kyiv into immediate peace talks, and leave Nato allies undefended if they failed to spend enough on defence — spooking European capitals. But in a boost for allies deeply concerned over their ability to support and protect Ukraine without Washington’s backing, Trump now intends to maintain US military supplies to Kyiv after his inauguration, according to three other people briefed on the discussions with Western officials. At the same time, Trump is to demand NATO more than double its two per cent spending target — which only 23 of the alliance’s 32 members currently meet — to five per cent, two people briefed on the conversations said, the Financial Times reported.
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Moreover, according to Bloomberg, US President-elect Donald Trump has said he will quickly negotiate an end to Russia’s war in Ukraine. This has got NATO allies wondering if he will withdraw US support for the government in Kyiv and force it to accept a permanent Russian occupation of Ukrainian land.
Such a settlement would set a precedent that Ukraine’s allies have been anxious to avoid. Russian President Vladimir Putin could claim his invasion was a success, and may be emboldened to invade more countries in his campaign to restore Russia’s Soviet-era sphere of influence, it reported.
