On the eve of the NATO summit in Turkey, US President Donald Trump once again complained that European allies were not spending enough on defense. But the willingness to invest is actually great.
A NATO summit is being held in Turkey today and tomorrow. It is expected to give a sign of unity, determination and strength. But the success of the intentions depends first and foremost on the consent of the most important negotiating partner in Ankara - Donald Trump. NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte is making every effort in this direction, notes German public broadcaster ARD.
The US president recently showed in the White House with colorful diagrams what impact he has had on the defense spending of the other 31 member states of the alliance. But then he complained again that the partners are paying too little.
On the eve of the meeting, Rutte stressed: Europe is on track to achieve the agreed target of five percent, four percent has already been achieved. At the same time, the Secretary General called on Europeans: "I expect clear, concrete plans on how the countries will achieve this five percent", the German public media quoted him as saying.
Great willingness to invest
At the same time, Europeans have no reason to have any qualms about money: almost all of them have firmly promised to allocate at least five percent of GDP to defense by 2035. Some are already doing so, Germany should achieve this goal in 2029, according to the federal government.
The funds from Europe and Canada intended for Ukraine have also been significantly increased: the country should receive 70 billion euros this and next year. 30 billion are from the large loan granted by the EU, and the rest - from NATO countries, without the participation of the United States. With these large sums, the Europeans want to show that they are ready to take on more responsibility, writes ARD.
Now in Turkey, military support for Ukraine will be discussed. The country urgently needs help in air defense, as the Russian attacks of recent days and nights have once again shown. President Volodymyr Zelensky, who is also in Ankara, is demanding from the meeting "strong decisions to support the Ukrainian air defense".
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The key issue: the Strait of Hormuz
Tensions could arise over the security of the Strait of Hormuz, predicts the German public media. This is not a NATO topic in principle, since the Alliance is not directly involved. During his visit to NATO headquarters in Brussels in mid-June, however, Pentagon chief Pete Hegseth left no doubt that the Americans are angry about exactly that. France and Britain have formed a coalition of those who want to guarantee security in the important strait.
According to NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte, this coalition already includes around 40 countries, ARD notes. Germany is also among them, including with two ships, one of which is a minesweeper. The vessels are already close to the region and are waiting for the preconditions to be met: above all a secure ceasefire and a mandate from the Bundestag. But they will not wait forever, warned Defense Minister Boris Pistorius.
American plans for troops in Europe
Another conflicting topic could be the redeployment of American forces in Europe, planned by the government in Washington, ARD believes. There will certainly be news in this regard, and this will not be surprising, because the Americans have long since made such a statement.
However, it is not clear how long what will not be available will be. In any case, everyone was initially surprised by the possible withdrawal or redeployment of American troops in Poland and Germany, as well as the undelivered "Tomahawk" missiles.
As for the NATO Force Model – i.e. the forces that will specifically be available in the event of a crisis – The US government has since given specific details about what it is "giving up". But the fact that it will take effect "with immediate effect" surprised some in Brussels.