DONALD Trump has warned Nato allies who are “lagging behind” on military spending that they must ramp up efforts “immediately” ahead of a key summit.
The US president has repeatedly hit out at members for dithering on defence and earlier this year.
Donald Trump has hit out at Nato allies again, demanding they increase military spending Credit: AP
Members have increased spending, but not at the rate expected by the White House Credit: Ian Whittaker
The White House reminded Nato allies of their pledge to spend five per cent of their GDP on defence by 2035, with many countries falling well short of that target.
Matt Whitaker, the US ambassador to , said on Sunday: “Some allies are doing more than others. Poland, the Nordic countries, the Baltic countries lead the way.
“But many others are lagging behind, and President Trump expects all allies to step up immediately and not only get on a sustainable path to the 5 per cent but to get to 5 per cent as soon as possible.”
Trump is reportedly mulling who do not meet that threshold.
To that end, members who reach their spending targets can expect preferential treatment from the president, including more face-to-face meetings and first dibs on the purchase of US weapons.
Senior US officials said that Trump will explain the consequences for dithering defence spenders at the Nato summit, which kicks off on Tuesday in Ankara, Turkey.
The measures could spell trouble for the UK, which has only increased spending by 0.3 per cent since 2014, just before ‘s annexation of Crimea.
as he announced a £15billion injection to the military this week.
Keir Starmer announced a £15billion plan to boost the UK’s spending this week Credit: EPA
Britain deployed its flagship aircraft carrier, the HMS Prince of Wales, to Iceland this week Credit: CPO Phot Nobby Hall
But it would only boost Britain’s figure to 2.7 per cent of its GDP by 2029 – still well off its pledge.
The outgoing PM raised the extra funds from cuts to planned infrastructure projects, and said that likely-ncumbent Andy Burnham would need to borrow to shoulder around £5bn.
Starmer will be preparing to face Trump’s rebuke as he attends the Ankara summit in one of his final acts in office.
Britain sent HMS Prince of Wales, its flagship aircraft carrier, off the coast of Iceland this week in an apparent effort to please the White House.
The 65,000-ton carrier was dispatched to counter the Russia threat, and its fleet of F-35 fighter jets as part of Nato’s Arctic Sentry mission to counter hostile activity.
Trump is also touted to meet Ukrainian leader Volodymyr Zelensky at the summit to discuss ways to bring an end to its war with Ukraine, after holding last week.
Ukraine has been in recent weeks with a string of successful drone attacks, including .
Trump’s threats to Nato come after he sensationally told The Telegraph he would consider dropping the alliance for good after the Middle East conflict is over.
America’s withdrawal would severely weaken Nato’s defence capabilities Credit: EPA
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America’s withdrawal would spell disaster for Western security chiefs as they scramble to shore up their nations’ defences without the additional £3.8trillion of might.
America has the majority of the pact‘s , tanks, aircraft and troops, while also taking the lead on much of its operations.
Experts have warned that its withdrawal would be among the “worst crises in the alliance’s history” and spark months of panic.
Without ‘s feared arsenal of weapons and its huge amount of combat experience then would be forced to face the likes of and ‘s alone.
Peter Apps, a British Army reservist and writer on global defence, warns: “This is possibly once again the worst crisis in Nato’s history.”
He notes that it would sit above several major issues the alliance has had to contend with from the in 2003 to Trump’s threats to invade Greenland just this year.
“It’s a reminder that Nato is something you can’t take 100 per cent for granted,” he added.
Ex-British intelligence officer and former Nato planner Philip Ingram warns that the idea of Nato without the US is “very significant” to ‘s security.
He told The Sun that during his years as a top coordinator for the alliance he was actively involved in plans which touched on Nato without US support.
He believes that Nato nations would be confident in their ability to remain as a strong global force but that they would scramble to act quickly to convince any lurking enemies.
Ingram said: “Getting a public message that shows Nato unity, if the decides to pull out, would be critical.
“And that message of unity would need to send a clear message to particularly .
“But then turning that message of unity and the words into actual practical change is always the hardest part.”
Eze Chidiebere Paul
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