Trump privately assures Europe that US to keep 'nuclear umbrella' over EU - NYT
Photo: US President Donald Trump (Getty Images)
President of the United States Donald Trump is not going to remove the "nuclear umbrella" over the EU. European countries have been assured of this by representatives of the White House leader's inner circle, NYT reports.
According to the media resource, officials from Donald Trump's inner circle have privately assured Europeans that the White House leader supports NATO and "will preserve the American 'nuclear umbrella' over Europe" while remaining committed to collective defense.
At the same time, NYT notes that "Trump's views are known to be volatile." Moreover, during his first term, he often considered withdrawing from NATO, while also stating that the United States would protect only those countries that pay enough for defense.
"This month, he (Trump - ed.) repeated that warning. He has demanded that NATO members pay up to 5 percent of gross domestic product on defense, significantly more than the United States, which spends about 3.4 percent of G.D.P. on its global military," journalists note.
Defense spending within NATO
Just a few days after his inauguration, Donald Trump stated that NATO countries must increase their defense spending to 5% of GDP. According to the American President, this would be a fair approach to reducing the financial burden on the US.
The necessity of increasing defense spending is also recognized in Europe. In early February, NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte stated that NATO would soon discuss raising defense spending to 3.5% of GDP.
Currently, each NATO country is required to spend 2% of its GDP on defense. According to Welt, Germany barely meets the quota, and seven EU countries fall short of it, including Italy, Spain, Portugal, and Belgium.
