European Union leaders on Friday downplayed US President Donald Trump’s doubts about Nato solidarity, following his comments a day after they endorsed plans to increase defence spending amid wavering US support.
After European leaders committed on Thursday to allocate hundreds of billions of euros for security, Trump expressed uncertainty, saying he was “not so sure” that Nato would come to the United States’ defence if it were attacked, according to news agency AP.
In response, French President Emmanuel Macron reiterated late Thursday that France was “loyal and faithful” to its allies, expressing “respect and friendship” toward US leaders and adding that France had “the right to expect the same.”
Maris Riekstins, Latvia’s ambassador to Nato, emphasized that the military alliance remained the most crucial platform for addressing transatlantic security issues. He highlighted Latvia’s commitment to defence spending, noting that Latvia, which shares a 300-km (186-mile) border with Russia, had proposed increasing its defence budget to 4% of GDP next year, with plans to eventually reach 5%.
Trump’s repeated warnings that European allies would face the threat of Russia alone if they didn’t meet defence spending targets have pushed countries, long hesitant on defence expenditure, to seek ways to strengthen their security and support Ukraine in its conflict with Russia.
On Thursday, EU leaders approved a measure to ease budget restrictions so that willing EU countries could ramp up military spending.
Following emergency talks in Brussels, Trump again raised the possibility that the US could reconsider its Nato commitments if allies failed to meet defence spending targets. He expressed doubt that other Nato members would come to the US’s defence, even though they did so after the September 11, 2001 attacks, the only instance where Article 5 of Nato’s mutual defence guarantee was invoked.
For years, Trump has criticized the alliance, arguing that European members have not contributed enough to their own security.
In Spain, Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez announced that his country would accelerate its defence spending to meet NATO’s target more quickly, although he did not specify when Spain would reach the 2% of GDP target. Spain spent an estimated 1.28% of its GDP on defence last year, with Italy and Belgium also falling short of the target, according to Nato estimates.
In 2014, Nato members pledged to spend at least 2% of GDP on defence, with 23 countries expected to meet that target last year due to concerns over the war in Ukraine. Spain, which had been the Nato member contributing the least to defence relative to GDP, had previously committed to reaching the target by 2029.
Sánchez stressed Spain’s commitment to European security and supporting Ukraine, but noted that the security challenges faced by southern European nations were different from the threats faced by eastern European allies from Russia.
Still, he acknowledged that “everyone must make an effort, and an accelerated effort.”
While not directly mentioning Trump, the Spanish leader called for a stronger, more unified Europe, stating, “While some (leaders) raise walls and tariffs, we build bridges and close trade agreements.”
Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, meanwhile, seemed to backtrack on previous support for Ukraine’s Nato membership. She suggested that extending NATO’s mutual defence guarantees to Ukraine without granting it membership would offer “stable, lasting, and effective security.”
On Friday, Sweden marked its first anniversary as a Nato member. Both Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson and the Swedish Ministry for Foreign Affairs posted on social media, focusing on a “more secure Sweden and a stronger Nato,” without directly addressing Trump’s comments.