NATO Chief Praises Trump After Members Meet Spending Targets

(Daily360.com) Jens Stoltenberg, the Secretary General of NATO, said former President Donald Trump helped increase financial contributions from NATO member countries by sending a clear message to other countries that they needed to pay their share.

Stoltenberg said European NATO countries have increased their spending in the wake of the Russian war against Ukraine. He also said that Trump told the European allies that they need to increase their spending when he was in office.

Stoltenberg went on to discuss the state of international affairs amidst the Ukraine war. He stressed the importance of America to continue providing support to the country as they face attacks from Putin and Russia. He also noted the fact that Russia is building relationships with China, North Korea, and Iran.

Stoltenberg warned that these relationships are dangerous for the U.S. and NATO allies. He referred to the four countries as authoritarian and said they are hoping for NATO to fail in its efforts to assist Ukraine. Stoltenberg said a Ukrainian loss will be a win for Russia, China, North Korea, and Iran.

Stoltenberg encourages the United States and NATO allies to enact consequences upon China for supporting Russia in the Ukrainian conflict. He said China should not be able to retain friendly trade partnerships with NATO countries while offering support to Russia.

Trump reportedly said while he was in office that Russia can do whatever they want to member countries who don’t provide enough financial assistance to NATO. Stoltenberg said the financial contributions from NATO countries have increased by an average of 18%, which is the most significant increase in decades. He said over 20 countries will reach their spending goals this year out of 32 countries total.

In 2021, there were only six NATO countries reaching the spending goal, which is to spend 2% of total funds on defense. Stoltenberg added that the increased spending by NATO countries will primarily be used to buy American-made weapons, which is beneficial to the U.S. economy and will create new jobs.