As the NATO summit drew to a close on Thursday, signs that a fierce US presidential election is just beginning became increasingly clear, with both President Biden and former President Trump using the international event as an opportunity to step up their campaign tactics.
NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg, in an interview with Fox News’ Brian Kilmeade, refused to take credit for the increase in defense spending as a percentage of GDP that NATO nations will achieve in 2024. Twenty-three of the 32 allies have already met their 2% commitment.
“Former President Trump sent a very clear message that our European allies would have to bear more of the burden. This was a message from successive US administrations and it was influential,” Stoltenberg said.
NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg refused to get drawn into the spat between President Biden and President Donald Trump. (Getty Images)
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Both Trump and Biden have pointed to the fact that a record number of NATO member states have met their defense spending pledges, first made in 2006, in line with their GDP as a major achievement of their respective presidencies.
President Trump has been vocal about the strain he has placed on NATO allies during his time in office.
The number of allies fulfilling their spending obligations increased from five countries fulfilling their obligations when Trump took office in 2016 to nine in 2020. But when Trump left office in 2021, that number dropped to six.
This year marked the biggest increase in NATO defense spending ever, with 23 of the alliance’s 32 nations meeting spending commitments for the first time.
Trump’s supporters point to the war in Ukraine, not the Biden administration, as the main driver of Europe’s defense spending surge.
Canada, long criticized for not meeting its defense spending commitments, announced on Thursday that it would finally meet its two per cent spending pledge by 2032.
But it’s unclear whether NATO allies are truly satisfied with this commitment, especially since smaller NATO states that border Russia, such as Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania, have not only fulfilled their commitments but have also spent well above the 2% cap.
The other eight countries that have not met the spending target are Croatia, Portugal, Italy, Belgium, Luxembourg, Slovenia and Spain. Iceland is exempt from the 2% commitment because it does not have a standing army.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg speak during a press conference at the NATO Summit in Washington, DC, on July 11, 2024. (AP Photo/Mark Schiefelbein)
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Several international officials expressed concern this week that the 2 percent spending pledge agreed nearly two decades ago no longer reflects allies’ realistic needs in the face of increasingly aggressive authoritarian regimes, including Russia, China, Iran and North Korea.
“We must be fully aware of the challenges ahead, but we must not be cowed by fear. We are at a turning point. The choices we make now will determine the future of Ukraine, Europe and this alliance,” Lithuanian Foreign Minister Gabrielius Landsbergis said Thursday. “The Ukrainian people clearly understand the existential nature of this war.”
“Unfortunately, the rest of us are still fighting obstacles of our own making. We need to change our peacetime thinking and ensure our defense spending reflects the threats we face.”
In an interview with “America Report” co-host John Roberts, Finnish President Alexander Stubb said, “I want to praise Trump because I think he got it right with the 2 percent limit. And in 2014, only three of our allies reached that level. In 2018, I think it was around 10. Now it’s 23. Would that have happened if Trump hadn’t applied the pressure? I don’t think so. Would that have happened in the absence of any circumstances? Probably not.”
British Defence Secretary John Healey, appointed just a week after the Labour landslide election, said the new government would commit to increasing spending commitments to NATO.
“Everyone should be encouraged by the fact that for the first time, 23 out of 32 countries have met the 2% target. We are aiming for 2.5%,” Healey said of the UK’s current spending. “If you assess the growing threats we face and the instability in the world, you know that NATO allies need to do more than 2%.”
Biden on Thursday touted other efforts to strengthen NATO, including adding Finland and Sweden to the alliance.
“Foreign policy has never been Trump’s strong suit, and he seems to have an affinity for authoritarian people,” Biden said of Trump.
Donald Trump challenged President Biden to a golfing challenge and vowed to donate $1 million to charity if he lost. (Getty Images)
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“I don’t have European allies coming to me and saying, ‘Joe, don’t run,'” Biden told reporters at a news conference after the NATO summit.
“What they’re saying is, ‘We’ve got to win. We can’t let this guy get ahead. He’s going to be a disaster. He’s going to be a disaster.’
Asked by Fox News about his allies’ feelings about the US presidential election, Stoltenberg said: “NATO is the most successful alliance in history because it has been able to stay out of domestic politics.”
“NATO should not have a say in who is chosen as the next president or prime minister of an ally.”
