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Donald Trump's team has told European officials that the incoming US president will require NATO member states to increase defense spending to 5 percent of GDP, but plans to continue providing military aid to Ukraine.
The president-elect's closest foreign policy aides shared his goals in talks with top European officials this month, according to people familiar with the discussions, as he tightens his policies toward Europe and Russia's invasion of Ukraine.
During his campaign for the White House, Trump he vowed to cut aid to Ukraine, force Kyiv into early peace talks, and leave Nato allies vulnerable if they fail to spend enough on defense – angering European capitals.
But in strengthening allies who are very worried about their ability to support and protect Ukraine without the support of Washington, Trump is now looking to keep US assets in Kyiv after his inauguration, according to three other people who were briefed on the talks with western officials.
At the same time Trump wants Nato to more than double its spending target of just 2 percent – which only 23 of the alliance's 32 members currently meet – to 5 percent, two people briefed on the conversations said.
One person said they understood that Trump would stay at 3.5 percent, and that he planned to clearly combine higher defense spending with the provision of favorable trade terms with the US. “It's clear that we're talking about 3 percent or more (at the NATO summit in June) at the Hague summit,” said one European official briefed on Trump's view.
NATO partners are already in talks about increase the target to 3 percent at that leaders' meeting in June, but many capitals are worried about the tough financial decisions they will have to make.
According to the White House's Office of management and budgetThe US will spend about 3.1 percent of GDP on defense in 2024. In the last year of Trump's first presidency in 2020, the Pentagon spends 3.4 percent.
Europe's main NATO allies – including France, Germany, the UK, Italy and Poland – met with NATO secretary general Mark Rutte and Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskyy in Brussels on Wednesday night to discuss the continent's future. with it. coordinate defense policies in response to Trump's return.
German Chancellor Olaf Scholz separately had a phone call with Trump on Thursday during a summit of EU leaders. Scholz later told reporters that he was “sure that the US and Europe will continue their support for Ukraine”. Top British security officials traveled to Washington earlier this month to assess the president-elect's plans.
While Trump still believes that Ukraine should not be granted Nato membership, and wants an immediate end to the conflict, the president-elect believed that providing weapons to Kyiv after the ceasefire would ensure that “peace is stronger”, they added.
After 24 hours of meetings with NATO and EU leaders in Brussels this week, Zelenskyy said on Thursday that European promises to protect Ukraine will be fulfilled. “not enough” without US involvement.
Additional reporting by George Parker in London