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NATO is preparing for a possible Trump presidency. In addition to an official in Kiev, Wiesbaden is also set to play a central role in the Ukraine war.
Washington, DC/Kiev – NATO is preparing for a possible presidency of Donald TrumpThe 78-year-old has repeatedly publicly toyed with the idea of withdrawing support in Ukraine War to partially reduce or completely eliminate it. In mid-June he called Ukrainian President Volodymyr Selensky the “best salesman of all time”. It has therefore been obvious for some time that Kiev and the West cannot rely on Trump.
Therefore, NATO should follow a report by the Wall Street Journal (WSJ) According to reports, the US is planning to station a high-ranking official in Kyiv as part of a series of new measures to strengthen long-term support for Ukraine – with or without Trump as US president. This step is expected to be announced at the upcoming NATO summit in Washington, DC (July 9-11).
Even if Trump wins: NATO wants to increase responsibility and support in the Ukraine war
Such a move by the NATO would not only take place in the midst of the war in Ukraine, but also at a time when right-wing populism is gaining strength in Europe. From the US perspective, according to the WSJreport is primarily about making NATO “Trump-proof.”
“An important reason for the change is to make aid measures for Ukraine Trump-proof,” Ivo Daalder, who served as US ambassador to NATO from 2009 to 2013, told the WSJ“Instead of Washington being responsible for managing the training and support, NATO will take over responsibility. So even if the US reduces or withdraws its support for the effort, it will not stop,” said Daalder.
Nato plans new base in Wiesbaden: Hungary stays out
The alliance therefore wants to set up a new command base in Wiesbaden to coordinate the provision of military equipment for Kiev and the training of Ukrainian troops. This would bring a large part of the material coordination of Ukraine “under one roof”. Wiesbaden is also the base of the US armed forces in Europe, which have so far carried out the coordination tasks.
Hungary will not be participating in the new NATO project. The government of Prime Minister Viktor Orban fears that the project could push the alliance into direct confrontation with Russia. This is why many other NATO states were very cautious two years ago. They prevented greater NATO support. Over time, however, the assessment has changed and most NATO states consider the risk to be calculable.
To ensure that Hungary does not prevent the necessary consensus for the project, the country was assured that it would not have to contribute any financial or personnel.
TV duel against Donald Trump: NATO must re-plan after weak Biden performance
According to the report, the NATO-appointed official in Kiev would WSJ will serve as a link between the base in Wiesbaden and Ukraine. The focus will then be on “Ukraine’s long-term military modernization requirements and non-military support.” This will also help the Ukrainian military to become more closely aligned with NATO’s armies.
The new initiatives have been “in development for months,” reports the WSJhowever, due to the weak performance of President Joe Biden in the TV debate against Donald Trump. Biden recently stressed that stopping the Russian army in the Ukraine war was crucial to stopping Putin’s imperialism in other parts of Europe and even beyond. “No major war in Europe could ever be limited to Europe,” Biden warned.
Trump, on the other hand, sees the Ukrainian defensive struggle against Russia as a European security problem, since there is, after all, “an ocean” between the USA and Europe.
Trump wants to end Ukraine war: “Before I take office on January 20th”
The former president continued to be as boastful as ever and declared that he could end the war in Ukraine before he even took office. “I will end this war between Putin and Zelensky as President-elect before I take office on January 20,” Donald Trump is quoted as saying by US media. However, he did not explain exactly how a diplomatic agreement between Moscow and Kiev would be reached.
However, two of Trump’s advisers are said to have presented him with a possible plan that would lead to an end to the war. This is reported by the news agency ReutersThe plan states, among other things, that Ukraine will only continue to receive weapons if it participates in peace talks. Reuters reported, the US would at the same time warn Moscow that any refusal to hold peace talks would result in a significant increase in US support for Kyiv. At least that is what retired Lieutenant General Keith Kellogg, one of Trump’s national security advisers, said in an interview.
At the end of June, Federal Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock (Greens) expressed little optimism about a possible second Trump presidency and the associated unpredictability of US politics. While the Federal Government is working closely with the current Biden administration, it is “completely unclear” what a second Trump term would mean for transatlantic relations and Ukraine, she said at the “Politics on the Ground” event on Editorial Network Germanydem ndr and the Hanover General NewspaperBaerbock stressed, however, that she had “repeatedly sought contacts” in both political camps in the USA. (nak)
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