Trump’s NATO demands: 5% defence spending, continued aid for Ukraine

Donald Trump’s team has informed European officials that his administration will demand NATO member states raise defence spending to 5% of GDP.

However, according to the FT article, the incoming president plans to continue US military support for Ukraine, despite his previous campaign promises to cut off aid, Caliber.Az reports.

During talks with senior European officials this month, Trump’s foreign policy advisors outlined his plans to reshape US policy towards Europe and Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. While Trump had pledged to cut aid to Ukraine, push Kyiv into peace talks, and leave NATO allies vulnerable if they didn't meet defence spending targets, his stance has shifted to reassure European allies.

Trump now intends to maintain military aid to Ukraine after his inauguration, according to multiple sources briefed on the discussions. His new approach aims to strengthen US support for Ukraine, despite his past criticism of NATO allies' defence spending.

In addition to continued support for Ukraine, Trump will press NATO to increase its defence spending target from the current 2% of GDP — a target only met by 23 out of NATO’s 32 members — to 5%. Some discussions suggest that Trump may settle for a target of 3.5% in the short term. The target is expected to be a key topic during the upcoming NATO summit in The Hague in June, where leaders are already considering increasing the target to 3%, though many countries are concerned about the fiscal challenges this would present.

Currently, the US plans to spend 3.1% of its GDP on defence in 2024, with a slight increase from 3.4% during Trump’s last year in office in 2020.

Top European NATO members, including France, Germany, the UK, Italy, and Poland, recently met with NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in Brussels to discuss how they will adapt defence policies in light of Trump’s return to power. German Chancellor Olaf Scholz also had a call with Trump, expressing confidence that both the U.S. and Europe would continue their support for Ukraine.

Although Trump has consistently opposed Ukraine’s NATO membership and wants the conflict to end quickly, he believes that providing weapons to Ukraine after a ceasefire will ensure a “peace through strength” outcome. Despite growing European commitments, Zelenskyy has warned that European pledges alone would not be sufficient to defend Ukraine without US involvement.

By Tamilla Hasanova