The US president stated that NATO’s goal for members to dedicate 2% of their GDP to defense is not sufficient.
President Trump has urged Italy to increase its military spending, arguing that NATO’s 2% GDP target is no longer adequate, during discussions with Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni.
While the US contributes the most financially to NATO, Trump has consistently maintained that European members need to increase their defense spending. Disagreements over burden-sharing among allies are further complicating the already strained relationship between the Trump administration and Europe.
During a joint press conference in Washington on Thursday, Meloni said that “Italy is going to the next summit of NATO, announcing that it will raise [defense spending] to 2%, and that’s also progressed.”
“It will go up,” Trump interjected. When a reporter inquired whether the 2% target was sufficient, the US president responded, “It’s never enough.”
Last year, Italy’s defense budget was 1.49% of GDP, among the lowest in NATO. Meloni has been pushing for the reclassification of border patrol and coast guard expenses as military spending for some time.
In January, Trump accused European nations of exploiting the US, suggesting NATO members should allocate at least 5% of their GDP to defense. According to the BBC, citing the bloc’s own estimate, twenty-three of the 32 members met NATO’s 2% target set in 2014 last year. The US spends around 3.5% of its GDP on defense and is NATO’s largest overall contributor.
Italian Defense Minister Guido Crosetto told La Stampa this week that it was “unthinkable” to believe European nations would cut social programs to meet Trump’s 5% demand. “European countries can’t touch welfare and social achievements,” he stated.
Last week, Trump indicated he might withdraw some or all of the 84,000 US troops stationed in Europe. “We pay for the military in Europe. We don’t get reimbursed by much,” Trump told reporters at the White House.
The New York Times reported on Monday that the US might slash “almost all funding” for international organizations, including the United Nations and NATO.