Donald Trump and NATO, a complicated relationship that worsens during the campaign

This Wednesday, NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg responded at a press conference in Brussels to criticism from former US president and big favorite in the Republican primaries, Donald Trump.

“The United States also needs allies,” Stoltenberg told reporters on the eve of a meeting of NATO ministers, stressing that “the United States has never fought a war alone.”

Jens Stoltenberg says he is aware that the United States knows how essential the transatlantic alliance is for its own security.

“The criticism we hear does not refer to NATO per sebut to the fact that NATO allies are not spending enough on NATO,” he concluded.

Stoltenberg tried to show unity despite the threat posed by Trump's recent statements against NATO. One of the main criticisms of the former US president is the little spending of some European nations in the alliance.

However, the acceleration of military spending in Europe this year shows, according to Stoltenberg, that Trump's hostile message has helped some NATO members reinforce their commitment to the alliance.

NATO's European members will spend $380 billion on defense this year, Jens Stoltenberg said at the press conference, adding that he “expects 18 allies to spend 2% of their GDP on defense this year.” Last year, Only 11 of NATO's 31 members achieved this collectively set goal.

Trump's hostile campaign against NATO

Jens Stoltenberg's comments and his discursive attempt at unity are a response to the harsh criticism that Trump launched against NATO at a campaign meeting on February 10.

The Republican assured a crowd in South Carolina that if re-elected he would stop guaranteeing NATO protection against Russia, and celebrated the failure of the Ukraine aid bill in the US Congress.

Statement that aroused fear among the United States' European allies. This time the former president not only questioned Washington's support for countries that do not spend enough on its defense, but also hinted that he would encourage Russia to “do whatever it wants” against them.

“One of the presidents of a big country stood up and said, 'Well, sir, if we don't pay and we get attacked by Russia, will you protect us?' and I said, 'No, I won't protect you.' In fact, I will encourage them to do whatever they want to you. You must pay your debts.” These were Trump's exact words at the South Carolina meeting.

For Trump it is popular to use the weapon against NATO in the campaign, but for the command of the transatlantic alliance this speech is a miscalculation that can generate misunderstandings in Russia about the degree of preparation and commitment of NATO in the protection of its allies .

“We must not weaken the credibility of NATO deterrence,” warned Jens Stoltenberg in condemnation of Trump.

For the President of the European Council, Charles Michel, “reckless statements on NATO security and on Article 5 only serve Putin's interests” and “do not bring more security or peace to the world.”

Article 5 of NATO implies that any attack on a member country of the alliance will be responded to by all members. But in Trump's ultranationalist rhetoric, neither Article 5 nor US funding of the alliance would be mandatory.

Joe Biden goes against Trump

President Joe Biden, a candidate for re-election, is already sponsoring a rematch against Trump in November. Biden took advantage of the recklessness of his Republican adversary to champion the defense of NATO.

“Donald Trump's admission that he intends to give Putin the green light for more war and violence, continue his brutal attack on a free Ukraine, and expand his aggression on the people of Poland and the Baltic States is appalling and dangerous,” he said. Biden in a statement.

The American president faces a pitched battle against Trump. In addition to the NATO trench, the failed Ukraine aid bill promoted by Democrats in Congress is another trench, and any error is used for the electoral campaign.

Joe Biden fiercely concluded that “unfortunately Trump's statements are predictable coming from a man who promised to govern like a dictator, like those he praises, from the first day of his term.”

But criticism of Trump does not only come from the Democratic wing. Republican candidate Nikki Haley denounced the former president's rhetoric.

“We want NATO allies to pay their share, but there are ways to do that without saying to Russia, 'Do what you want with these countries,'” Haley said.

However, Republican Senator Marco Rubio came to Trump's defense and justified his statements, explaining that the former president never speaks “like a traditional politician.”

Real threat or campaign speech?

Despite a turbulent relationship between the Trump administration (2017-2021) and NATO, the billionaire has had an ambivalent speech.

In a meeting between Jens Stoltenberg and Trump at the White House in April 2019, the then president stated that “NATO was stronger since he became president” due to his demands that European countries contribute more economically to the alliance.

However, former Trump administration officials have assured that the threat against NATO is real.

This is the case of former National Security Advisor, John Bolton, who states in his memoir that Trump was on the verge of removing the United States from NATO in 2018. What would have been a mortal blow for the alliance that mostly It depends economically on the North American nation.

With Reuters and local media