“Der Spiegel”: Trump may not appear at the NATO summit if the Member States “do not move”

The US ambassador to NATO Matthew Whitaker threatens the absence of President Donald Trump at the top of the North Atlantic Alliance in June in Hague, if the Member States “do not move” in financial matters – said the German weekly “Der Spiegel” on Friday.

Confidential reports from the headquarters in Brussels say that Whitaker at every opportunity demands an increase in defense expenditure from two to five percent of GDP. In the case of Germany, this would increase expenses to EUR 215 billion – the editors pointed out.

As Der Spiegel writes, the German side until recently believed that Americans' demands were only a negotiating strategy and are not taken seriously.

“Currently (Germans) they believe Whitaker for the word. Also when it threatens that Trump will not take part in the June summit, if other NATO countries do not move on money,” we read on the portal of the German weekly.

The budget of the Ministry of Defense is EUR 53.25 billion this year. This sum comes from funds from the special Bundeswehra Fund in 2022 in a total amount of EUR 100 billion. (PAP)

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