According to the Financial Times, the paper wrote: “Donald Trump’s team has told European officials that the incoming US president will demand NATO member states increase defence spending to 5% of GDP, but plans to continue supplying military aid to Ukraine.”
This clear policy shift was also documented in Ukrainian media. RBC Ukraine reported:
“US President-elect Donald Trump does not intend to stop military aid to Ukraine. He plans to continue supplying weapons, Financial Times reports. The media outlet notes that the US President-elect opposes Ukraine’s NATO membership and seeks an end to the war. However, he believes that supplying weapons to Kyiv after a ceasefire would ensure “peace through strength.””
At the same time, Trump is also threatening tariffs on the E.U. if they do not increase their purchases of American oil and LNG.
This policy shift is not too unexpected. Last week, Trump changed his tune when asked about stopping the war once he retakes office, telling the press “I might. … I’m going to try” – which is a lot different than the dogmatic promises to end the war he often repeated on the campaign trail.
Additionally, ZeroHedge pointed out:
But there’s at least one severe critic – Hungary’s Viktor Orban. He estimated in a radio interview on Friday that the US and the EU have pumped over $300 billion in financial aid and military assistance into Kiev’s coffers since the war’s start.
“During the negotiation with the Americans, I received the figure that Europe and America together have spent €310 billion so far. Those are huge numbers!” the Hungarian prime minister declared.
He went on to describe that such a massive amount “could have done wonders” for European people themselves, instead of sinking the funds into an unwinnable war, while avoiding the necessity of negotiations with Moscow.
The 5% defense spending for NATO members could also be a ‘tough’ tactic as the new administration deals with NATO allies. According to more from Financial Times:
One person said they understood that Trump would settle for 3.5 per cent, and that he was planning to explicitly link higher defense spending and the offer of more favorable trading terms with the US.
“It’s clear that we are talking about 3 percent or more for [Nato’s June summit in] The Hague summit,” said another European official briefed on Trump’s thinking.
AUTHOR COMMENTARY
One commenter on ZeroHedge said it well:
Trump Derangement Syndrome is an epidemic and is very real.
The polarizing loudmouthed new yorker’s deranged critics blame him for things he had nothing to do with and his deranged fans give him credit for things that never even happened.
A flamboyant salesman, social media personality, without a sincere bone spur in his body as POTUS fits America like a glove.
Another one said:
Regular readers of The WP know that for months I have said that Trump is not going to end the war in Ukraine, not that he ever had an inkling of the power to do that (he doesn’t in the slightest, contrary to what all the “alt” pundits would have you believe). The military industrial complex is in control, and he is just a pawn in it; taking his orders from corporate wealth and private interests, from his Jesuit and Zionist puppeteers.
My cup runneth dry for sympathy for MAGA supporters. The truth is right in front of your eyes to see, and yet you chose to live in a fairytale. And don’t give me this, “It’s better than Kamala” crap: that just proves how hopelessly deceived you are at this point. But as I like to say, Liars love being lied to.
Proverbs 17:4 A wicked doer giveth heed to false lips; and a liar giveth ear to a naughty tongue.
In April, Trump, in alignment with Speaker of the House Mike Johnson, agreed to give more money to the Zelensky regime in the form of a loan; not ending it, but dishing out the dough with interest – even though those loans would never get paid back.
Just yesterday I quoted NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte, who openly talked about how Trump helped to bolster NATO the first time he was in office, and no doubt he will do so again the second. My comments were correct, and it did not take long to confirm them.
Rutte said:
What he wants is to make sure that that the US is not overspending and we are not doing enough. And he’s totally right. I mean, I remember when he became President in 2016, 2017 that he continued to push us. And since he became president, we spent 641 billion more than before he came on. That’s an advocate of what we are spending more since, since then and since 2014 it was very sluggish. The uptake of moving to the 2% since he became president, we accelerated, of course, the full onslaught, the full-scale onslaught of Russia and Ukraine, has also ramped up defence spending, but he was very successful in ramping it up. He will again push us.
But my point is this, I don’t want to spend more because he wants, we have to spend more because our deterrence is at stake. Our security is at stake. Our collective defence is not what it should be, and we are in real difficulty in four or five years. That is why we need to spend more, not because of Donald Trump, but he is right. We need to do more.
And by the way, what we need from him. I have a big ask from Donald Trump, and this is about the US industrial defence capacity. I know as Prime Minister of the Netherlands how difficult it is to buy anything in the US, be it Patriots or missiles, whatever you have to go through Congress and the Senate. No, sorry, the Congress, the Pentagon and the White House, they all have to agree. And as I said, we have our 184 billion we are spending since 2022, European Allies in the US, that can be even more. I’m absolutely convinced if he would make it easier for European Allies to buy in the US. So, this is something he can help with, and it helps also his own economy. But I know, I think he was spot on on forcing us to spend more. But again, let’s not do it now because he wants it. We do it because we need to do it. It’s our collective defence which is at stake.
And there you have it. If you believe Trump is anti-war and is a non-politician, that he is some grassroots man fighting for the people, then you have drank the Kool-Aid because nothing could be farther from the truth. And him pushing and funding NATO is just one aspect of it: I’ve documented his blatant acts of vastly increasing and funding the military industrial complex more than his predecessors; and his latest cabinet picks, and his and their statements, prove that he is totally gung-ho for more war. Michael Tracy has a good article detailing Trump’s support for NATO while he was in office.
You don’t need me to tell you this, but war is going to greatly expand in 2025. I don’t expect Ukraine to come to an end like Trump has tried to claim he will end on the first day of his Presidency, and I think it is likely the U.S. will get involved in warring with China over Taiwan and The Philippines.
Mark 13:7 And when ye shall hear of wars and rumours of wars, be ye not troubled: for such things must needs be; but the end shall not be yet. [8] For nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom: and there shall be earthquakes in divers places, and there shall be famines and troubles: these are the beginnings of sorrows.
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