EU’s top diplomat affirms NATO will ‘survive’ Trump

(MENAFN) EU foreign policy chief, Kaja Kallas, has expressed confidence that NATO will remain strong despite pressure from US President Donald Trump. In an interview with Spanish daily El Mundo, Kallas reassured that NATO is a resilient alliance that will continue to thrive, even amid challenges posed by Trump's administration. She also emphasized the importance of NATO member states meeting the defense spending target of 2% of GDP by 2024, although many countries are still struggling to meet this threshold.

Kallas acknowledged that some nations face difficulties in meeting the defense spending goal but emphasized that overcoming this challenge will require difficult, and sometimes unpopular, decisions. She shared her own experience as Estonia’s prime minister, during which the country had to raise taxes to address fiscal issues.

When asked why the EU does not directly subsidize countries lagging behind in defense spending, Kallas explained that the bloc must balance the interests of highly indebted states and those contributing more to the EU budget. The EU has introduced “relief measures” to allow greater flexibility for member states in managing their fiscal obligations.

Since taking office, Trump has repeatedly pressured European NATO members to increase defense spending, urging them to meet the 2% target, and even suggesting that they should aim for 5%. Trump has warned that the US may not defend NATO members who fail to meet the spending goal.

While NATO leaders support increased military spending to deter Russia amid the ongoing Ukraine conflict, Russian President Vladimir Putin has dismissed these concerns, calling them “nonsense” and asserting that Moscow has no interest in attacking NATO.

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