President Donald Trump heads this week to the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) summit as American allies come to grips with the vast impact his foreign policy has already achieved from Iran’s nuclear ambitions to the future of funding for European security.
The summit, which will take place in The Hague, Netherlands, will provide a platform for Trump to push for his proposed requirement that NATO’s 32 member states reach 5% gross domestic product (GDP) spending on defense.
But there is one exception: the United States.
Even though he departed from this month’s G7 summit early due to the escalating conflict between Israel and Iran, Trump appears to have bold priorities for his in-person appearance with other NATO leaders.
Trump told reporters Friday night that he believes the United States has floated NATO for long enough. “I don’t think we should, but I think they should,” Trump said about raising defense spending to 5%. “We’ve been supporting NATO so long. So I don’t think we should, but I think that the NATO countries should, absolutely.”
In the wake of what has been hailed as a military success in striking Iran’s three nuclear facilities, Trump will have extra momentum to pressure other nations into doing what Trump has long lobbied for, even prior to his first term in office.
Most NATO members contribute just over 2% of their GDP on defense spending. Additionally, there are a growing number of nations who have committed to reaching 3% over the next few years. Presently, Poland, Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania have committed to the new 5% requirement.
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Author: Ray Hilbrich
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