On the heels of a visibly awkward visit from German Chancellor Angela Merkel, US President Donald Trump on Saturday said that Germany owed “vast sums of money” to NATO and the US, even though the alliance does not stipulate payments to the US.
His remarks prompted a former US ambassador to NATO to tweet “that’s not how NATO works” and to add that increased European spending on defense was not a “favor (or payment) to the US.”
Trump, who was at his Mar-a-Lago estate over the weekend and spent Saturday morning at Trump International Golf Course, sent two tweets early in the day.
The first denounced “the FAKE NEWS” for what he said was mistaken coverage of a “GREAT” meeting with Merkel.
Trump’s public appearances with Merkel betrayed an awkwardness between the two leaders, including during two widely remarked upon appearances in the White House.
In one, the leaders failed to stage a handshake for cameras in the Oval Office and in another Merkel looked baffled by comments made by Trump during a joint news conference.
Before the visit Trump repeatedly called Merkel’s policies “insane” and a “disaster” for Germany.
Trump’s second tweet accused Germany directly of not paying enough to the security alliance.
In Friday’s joint press conference, Trump expressed “strong support” for NATO, but reiterated his belief that member nations do not contribute a “fair share.”
“Many nations owe vast sums of money from past years and it is very unfair to the United States,” Trump said. “These nations must pay what they owe.”
“During our meeting, I thanked Chancellor Merkel for the German government’s commitment to increase defense spending and work toward contributing at least 2 percent of GDP,” he said.
Trump’s tweets on Saturday suggested a misunderstanding of the way NATO is funded.
According to NATO’s official guidelines, member nations are expected to spend at least 2 percent of their country’s GDP on defense. However, only a handful of the 28 members actually meet that target.
At a 2014 summit in Wales, members pledged to increase their military spending to 2 percent of GDP by 2024, a goal some have said is unachievable and unrealistic for several member states.
Ultimately, members’ contributions are based on each nation’s capability. Therefore, NATO member nations do not “owe” or have to compensate any other country.
On Saturday, former US ambassador to NATO Ivo Daalder, who served from 2009 to 2013, responded to Trump in a series of tweets.
“Sorry, Mr President, that’s not how NATO works,” he wrote. “The US decides for itself how much it contributes to defending NATO. This is not a financial transaction, where NATO countries pay the US to defend them. It is part of our treaty commitment.
“All NATO countries, including Germany, have committed to spend 2% of GDP on defense by 2024. So far five of 28 NATO countries do. Those who currently don’t spend 2% of their GDP on defense are now increasing their defense budgets. That’s a good thing,” he wrote.
“But no funds will be paid to the US. They are meant to increase NATO’s overall defense capabilities, given the growing Russian threat. Europe must spend more on defense, but not as favor (or payment) to the US. But because their security requires it,” he wrote.
The “large military commitment” of the US to NATO was “not a favor to Europe,” but was “vital for our own security,” Daalder wrote.
“We fought two world wars in Europe, and one cold war,” he wrote. “Keeping Europe whole, free, and at peace, is vital US interest.”
‘IN A DIFFERENT PLACE’: The envoy first visited Shanghai, where he attended a Chinese basketball playoff match, and is to meet top officials in Beijing tomorrow US Secretary of State Antony Blinken yesterday arrived in China on his second visit in a year as the US ramps up pressure on its rival over its support for Russia while also seeking to manage tensions with Beijing. The US diplomat tomorrow is to meet China’s top brass in Beijing, where he is also expected to plead for restraint as Taiwan inaugurates president-elect William Lai (賴清德), and to raise US concerns on Chinese trade practices. However, Blinken is also seeking to stabilize ties, with tensions between the world’s two largest economies easing since his previous visit in June last year. At the
UNSETTLING IMAGES: The scene took place in front of TV crews covering the Trump trial, with a CNN anchor calling it an ‘emotional and unbelievably disturbing moment’ A man who doused himself in an accelerant and set himself on fire outside the courthouse where former US president Donald Trump is on trial has died, police said yesterday. The New York City Police Department (NYPD) said the man was declared dead by staff at an area hospital. The man was in Collect Pond Park at about 1:30pm on Friday when he took out pamphlets espousing conspiracy theories, tossed them around, then doused himself in an accelerant and set himself on fire, officials and witnesses said. A large number of police officers were nearby when it happened. Some officers and bystanders rushed
Beijing is continuing to commit genocide and crimes against humanity against Uyghurs and other Muslim minorities in its western Xinjiang province, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said in a report published on Monday, ahead of his planned visit to China this week. The State Department’s annual human rights report, which documents abuses recorded all over the world during the previous calendar year, repeated language from previous years on the treatment of Muslims in Xinjiang, but the publication raises the issue ahead of delicate talks, including on the war in Ukraine and global trade, between the top U.S. diplomat and Chinese
RIVER TRAGEDY: Local fishers and residents helped rescue people after the vessel capsized, while motorbike taxis evacuated some of the injured At least 58 people going to a funeral died after their overloaded river boat capsized in the Central African Republic’s (CAR) capital, Bangui, the head of civil protection said on Saturday. “We were able to extract 58 lifeless bodies,” Thomas Djimasse told Radio Guira. “We don’t know the total number of people who are underwater. According to witnesses and videos on social media, the wooden boat was carrying more than 300 people — some standing and others perched on wooden structures — when it sank on the Mpoko River on Friday. The vessel was heading to the funeral of a village chief in