“They can all afford it, but they should be at five per cent, not two per cent,” the incoming US president told reporters.
“Europe is in for a tiny fraction of the money that we’re in,” Trump said. “We have a thing called the ocean in between us, right? Why are we in for billions and billions of dollars more money than Europe?”
Trump has long been sceptical of NATO, the cornerstone of security in Europe since World War II, and last month reiterated a familiar threat to leave the alliance if its members did not step up spending.
The transatlantic alliance’s 32 countries in 2023 set a minimum level for defence spending of two per cent of gross domestic product, and Russia’s war in Ukraine has jolted NATO to strengthen its eastern flank and ramp up spending.
Trump is not the only top official to call for an increase – NATO chief Mark Rutte likewise said last month that “we are going to need a lot more than two per cent”.
Rutte also warned that European nations were not prepared for the threat of future war with Russia, calling on them to “turbocharge” their defence spending.
