Allies downplay Trump’s criticism and assure that Europe fulfills its defense duties

The heads of State and Government of NATO have downplayed this Wednesday the criticism that the President of the United States, Donald Trump, has leveled against them ahead of the Alliance summit in Ankara, arguing that the allies are already assuming greater responsibility for their own security and are rebalancing the financial burden of the organization.

The leaders have thus responded to criticism from the tenant of the White House, who has stated that he remains “disappointed” with NATO for not having offered help in its offensive against Iran and for not spending enough on military matters, and who has gone so far as to say that if the summit had not been organized by his “friend” Recep Tayyip Erdogan, he would not even have attended.

“The United States is the most important partner (of NATO) and it does not change because a president is a little critical of the organization. Trump is very critical of the organization, he will undoubtedly express himself about it, we will listen to him, but this does not question the existence of the Alliance at all,” said the Prime Minister of Belgium, Bart de Wever.

The Belgian leader has regretted that Trump continues to be “very critical” of NATO because, in his opinion, “European countries have responded to his demand” to spend more on defense and have increased spending by 20%, even 60% in the case of Belgium.

In a very similar vein, the Prime Minister of the Netherlands, Rob Jetten, has minimized the attacks by defending that the continental effort “not only favors European security, but also that of the United States” by providing capabilities that are “crucial” for Washington.

Faced with a possible withdrawal of US troops, Jetten has been “absolutely convinced” that the United States is interested in a strong Alliance, although he has warned that the allies are already “quite capable of defending this continent” on their own. “We are redesigning NATO towards ‘NATO 3.0’ and doing a great job,” he added.

BURDEN SHARING “IS NOW A REALITY”

For his part, the Prime Minister of Canada, Mark Carney, has shown understanding with the need to change the distribution of the burden because the threats “are changing rapidly”, but he has clarified that it is a transition that “is already happening and gaining strength.”

“The president (Trump) wants this change of responsibility to occur, but it is worth remembering that President (Barack) Obama also wanted it and it is appropriate that it should occur,” said the Canadian, downplaying the attitude of the American, whom he saw “in good spirits” in Ankara.

“The important milestone is that the burden is being shared, Europe is assuming greater responsibility,” stressed the Prime Minister of Norway, Jonas Gahr Store, who upon arriving at the summit highlighted that his country has raised defense spending to 4.7% (3.17% in “purely” military investment) and with this it is “closer” to the objectives agreed in The Hague.

Asked about Trump’s threat to withdraw up to 80,000 US soldiers deployed in Europe despite everything, the Norwegian president downplayed its importance by pointing out that the United States has a “broader agenda” than Europe’s and defended that the Europeans have taken a “step forward.”

“Whether there is rhetoric from one leader or another, we have to live with it, but if you look at the evidence, Europe is taking a step forward, not only in the way we spend, but because we spend sensibly, without duplicity,” insisted Gahr Store, who said he “does not see” that the United States is going to withdraw “all its troops” from Europe.

A MORE EUROPEAN ALLIANCE

The German Chancellor, Friedrich Merz, has joined this bloc, expressing his desire that the summit certify “a new spirit” for a “stronger and more united” NATO, thanks to the fact that the majority of partners have “considerably improved” their defense allocations.

Merz has advocated making a “more European Alliance, so that it can continue to be transatlantic” and has given as an example of this new autonomy the bilateral agreement announced with Norway and Canada for the joint construction and acquisition of submarines.

Although he has not spoken directly to the press, the President of the Government, Pedro Sánchez, has conveyed to his counterparts that Spain is “an ally with principles” that is fulfilling its investment and capacity commitments.

This has been stated by government sources, who have indicated that the head of the Executive came to the NATO summit with the idea of ​​transmitting a message of reinforcing the “European aspect” and the unity and cohesion of the Alliance to “face the challenges of the future.”

“THERE IS NO NATO WITHOUT THE US”

On the more Atlanticist side of the meeting, the president of Poland, Karol Nawrocki, has avoided any comments against the American by proclaiming that “there is no NATO without the United States” and has called Trump “a great friend of Poland.”

Far from fearing a withdrawal of troops, Nawrocki recalled that there are 10,000 US soldiers in its territory and has assured that the talks “are going very well” to establish a permanent presence of US troops in the country. “The highway towards that deployment is open,” he celebrated.

Finally, the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, Keir Starmer – whom Trump has said has resigned for not helping him in the Middle East – has chosen to avoid direct controversy with the president of the United States to focus on the geopolitical urgency of the summit.

“With the ongoing conflict in Ukraine and recent events in the Strait of Hormuz, there are many really important issues that we must discuss and agree on a response to at this summit. It is very important that, as leaders, we show the unity and strength of NATO at a time like this,” he concluded.