Trump’s NATO comment was ‘pre-election rhetoric’, say Croatian politicians, analysts
Former US President Donald Trump’s comment on not defending NATO members who do not invest enough in defence can be mostly attributed to the US’s heated election campaign, according to politicians and analysts who spoke with Euractiv, with some adding that these comments fall in line with his contempt for NATO.
Politicians and analysts who spoke to Euractiv mostly attribute Trump’s words to the heated US election campaign. Individuals put forward their proposals, notably on the need to strengthen the EU’s common defence.
“Trump’s statement should be viewed from several perspectives. On the one hand, Trump makes such statements for domestic needs, that is, to gather votes because he wants a new term in the White House, and such statements are good to many people in the US,” the former boss of Croatian diplomacy from HDZ Miro Kovač told Euractiv.
“Second, Trump has previously expressed contempt for NATO. However, the question is whether, if he becomes president again, he would even be able to pull the US out of NATO, since the Congress passed a law at the end of last year that effectively prevents him from doing so,” he added.
He added that, in a way, such statements could even be good for Europe, because they would finally make it care more about its security.
“We in Europe must finally start worrying about security on our continent, which implies greater allocations for defence. We cannot behave like immature children who constantly expect Americans to defend them. Of course, the USA remains our defence partner as well, but we must be ready to take care of their security and defence themselves. Because of all this, we need joint military forces of the EU and a common defence policy”, notes Kovač.
Tonino Picula, an SDP (Socialists and Democrats) MEP who is also the EP’s rapporteur on relations with the US, believes that Trump’s performance only reinforces the case for strengthening the EU.
“Nothing unexpected from Trump. Now he has just widened the range of intolerance towards the Alliance. He no longer refuses only the involvement of the USA in the possible defence of ‘some Montenegro over there’, as he once said, but also the obligations to defend all European allies in NATO”, Picula told Euractiv.
He added that NATO’s European members “must demonstrate the ability to urgently strengthen the hitherto weakest common policies – foreign, security and defence”.
“The EU has historically developed through crises, and this is certainly a first-class opportunity for its geopolitical maturation,” said Picula.
Trump’s statement was also commented on by the vice president of Most and member of parliament Nikola Grmoja. He also attributes Trump’s words to the election campaign.
“With the victory of Trump in the elections, nothing will happen to the NATO alliance, nor will it collapse as some announce. Trump’s statements are for pre-election needs and messages to American voters that America will insist that other countries participate more and pay into the common coffers of the NATO alliance Considering the economic crisis and the generous participation of the USA in helping Ukraine, such messages find fertile ground among American voters and that is why Trump sends them,” Grmoja told Euractiv.
So far, the Croatian government and the Defence Ministry, as well as the ruling centre-right HDZ, have not commented on Trump’s words by the time this article went to press. But the opposition parties, on both the left and the right, have also been largely silent.
Euractiv also requested a comment from the right-wing Domovinski pokret party but did not receive a response by the time of publication.
Marinko Ogorec, a security and military expert, also says that Trump’s messages are pre-election rhetoric. But he also sees in Trump’s words a message that it is high time for NATO members to start investing more in their defence.
According to the latest available data from NATO, only 11 members of the alliance spent 2% or more of their GDP on defence last year, as recommended by the bloc.
Croatia is not one of them. According to NATO estimates, Croatia will spend 1.79% of its GDP on defence in 2023, which is below NATO’s recommendations.
Ogorec pointed out that the situation in the Croatian environment requires the strengthening of the country’s military and security forces. Even the procurement of Rafale aircraft and other military equipment will push Croatia’s defence spending above the required 2% of GDP.
In addition, the announced return to military service is likely to further increase consumption,” Ogorec concludes.
(Adriano Milovan, Euractiv.hr)
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