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Mark Rute is determined to give Donald Trump a victory at the upcoming NATO summit.
The Alliance Secretary -General wants to avoid the scenes of 2016, when, while in its first term, the US president has embarrassed European allies for not spending on defense and using US taxpayers.
Trump views relationships even based on collective security as transactional.
That is why at a press conference in Brussels on Thursday, Rute offered NATO members to spend 5% of gross domestic product (GDP) for defense – what Trump called for.
Increasing – more than double NATO members, which is engaged in 2% GDP – is a great request for many European countries.
Some may ask if such a deal is to restrain Russia, or at least in part, designed to consolidate the president.
Rute’s compromise will lightly alleviate the severity. This will require the increase in the main protection costs up to 3.5% of GDP, and the remaining 1.5% will consist of “protection costs”.
This is a vague term that allows them several times. Rute said he might include infrastructure and industry costs.
He said the US would also sign up for a new goal – although there will be 3.4% for Washington, it will be relatively painless.
A real test is not a commitment, but whether it provides. Leaders who are expected to reach the Hague agreement long will leave until their countries will reach a new goal.
There is still no schedule, but it will probably be about 10 years. Also, there is no real sanction that NATO can impose a defaulter. Several countries still have to reach 2% of the target installation more than a decade ago.
At a press conference in Brussels on Thursday, Rute – who previously ruled one such country that did not conform to the goal of 2% – asked if he would ensure that the countries fulfill the obligations over time.
He only said that he has a “cunning plan” to attract political leaders on the account “that nations will be obliged to plan annually, showing an increase each year to make sure that you will come to a new goal of 5%.”
This would prevent the “hockey stick” on the cost chart over time when it suddenly increases, he claimed.
Next week, Rutht will visit the UK to meet with Prime Minister Sir Keir Starr. The NATO chief proposed by the heads of the expenses is applied as part of the current Prime Minister of the UK, according to which the UK will spend 2.5% of its GDP by 2027 with “ambitions” to raise it up to 3% in the following parliament.
US Secretary of Defense Pitt Hugset claimed on Thursday that countries, including France, Germany, Baltic and Northern Countries, Poland, Greece and Hungary, have already pledged to lay 5%.
He refused to name the countries that were still to be fulfilled, but stated that the UK was “going there”.
“We believe that everyone is going there, we really do. It is important for them to do. It is important for the UK to get there,” Hegset said.
Adam Hayle and Pennsylvania’s additional reporting
