NATO turns 75 in shadow of Ukraine war, and Trump

  • 6 months ago

Visit our website:
http://www.france24.com

Like us on Facebook:
https://www.facebook.com/FRANCE24.English

Follow us on Twitter:
https://twitter.com/France24_en
Transcript
00:00 It's no secret Donald Trump is not a fan of NATO.
00:04 "NATO was busted until I came along."
00:07 And with the prospect of Trump returning to the White House, current NATO leaders are
00:12 trying to plan ahead.
00:14 NATO Chief Jens Stoltenberg has proposed a 100 billion euro five-year fund for Ukraine,
00:21 seen as a way to Trump-proof this military support.
00:24 "We must ensure reliable and predictable security assistance to Ukraine for the long haul.
00:31 We are transforming NATO's comprehensive assistance package into a multi-year program of assistance."
00:39 Trump has been historically cozy with Vladimir Putin.
00:43 And last month, he startled allies when he said any NATO country not meeting its financial
00:47 obligations would not get U.S. help if Russia threatened them.
00:52 "No, I would not protect you.
00:53 In fact, I would encourage them to do whatever the hell they want.
00:57 You got to pay.
00:58 You got to pay your bills."
01:00 In what is also seen as a preemptive move, there has been a steep increase in NATO countries
01:05 meeting the spending target of 2% of GDP on defense.
01:09 "In 2014, there were only three allies at 2%.
01:13 Now there are, in '24, there's likely to be about 20.
01:18 So I think the Europeans have turned a corner and that might help mitigate the effect of
01:25 such comments and Trump's potential position."
01:29 Stoltenberg's proposal also envisions NATO taking more control from a U.S.-led coalition
01:35 to coordinate arms supplies to Ukraine.
01:38 He argues this could help insulate from any political changes in NATO countries.
01:43 Get the link.

Recommended