NATO Backs Trump on Sanctions and Defense Spending

NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte praised U.S. President Donald Trump’s assertion that, without a resolution to the Russia-Ukraine war, the U.S. would impose high tariffs and sanctions on Russian goods. Trump emphasized that sanctions could be applied to “anything being sold by Russia to the United States and various other participating countries.” Rutte expressed support for Trump’s position, stating, “the Russian economy is doing terribly,” and called for European nations to increase sanctions to undermine Russian financing of the war. He noted that the outcome of any peace deal must guarantee that Russia cannot reclaim any Ukrainian territory in the future. Current data indicates that February marks the third anniversary of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, during which concerns about a potential bad peace deal have intensified as war fatigue grows among some allies. Rutte warned that the war is “not moving in the right direction,” indicating that the frontlines should be progressing eastward instead of westward. In terms of defense spending, NATO has a target of 2% of GDP for its member states, but in January, Trump suggested increasing this target to 5%. Rutte supported this call, emphasizing that countries such as Spain, Italy, and Canada must reach the 2% target within the coming months, stating that Europe also needs to bolster its defense industrial base. Although Dutch defense spending has historically hovered below the NATO target from 2014 to 2023, it is projected to reach 2.05% of GDP in 2024.

Source: CNBC