NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said the alliance has approved a new formula for calculating contributions to the organization’s budget. Now the United States will pay less, and the share of Germany, on the contrary, will increase.

“It is true that we agreed with the new formula for the distribution of these costs, the United States will pay less, the Federal Republic of Germany will pay more, that is, now the United States and Germany will pay the same, almost 16% of the NATO budget. The rest will be distributed among other allies, ”RIA Novosti quotes Stoltenberg’s statement, which he made following a meeting in Paris with French President Emmanuel Macron.

On the eve of the American media, citing sources in the Trump and NATO administrations, the White House has taken steps to significantly reduce its share of contributions to the collective budget of the North Atlantic Alliance. Prior to this, Washington provided about 22% of direct financing of the block, which goes, inter alia, to cover the costs of maintaining the headquarters. The alliance budget is about $ 2.5 billion.

According to Vladimir Batyuk, head of the Center for Military-Political Studies of the ISK RAS, this decision fits into Trump’s general course towards NATO.

“Amid defense spending, spending on headquarters and paying salaries to NATO bureaucrats is an insignificant amount. However, this step fits into Trump's strategy. He sharply and consistently demands that his partners and allies in the alliance increase their contribution to NATO. The US president sees no reason for America to bear the burden of maintaining democracy around the world. Trump in this matter is ready to go much further than Obama, ”said the expert.

Unnecessary Alliance

Donald Trump, after being elected president of the United States, has consistently criticized NATO as an “obsolete” organization, and its members for his insufficient contribution to the alliance’s defense.

The owner of the White House has repeatedly stated that not all countries allocate for defense needs an amount equal to 2% of GDP, as agreed upon.

Speaking at the NATO summit in Brussels on May 25, 2017, Trump said that 23 out of 28 countries "do not pay what they owe for their defense, and this is dishonest towards the American people and taxpayers."

After the alliance summit ended in July 2018, the American leader again criticized the Allies, especially Germany - he expressed dissatisfaction with the fact that Berlin intends to achieve the set goal of defense spending of 2% of GDP only by 2028-2030.

“I want justice for the USA. We pay too much to NATO - from 70 to 90%. Depends on how to count. NATO is important, but the alliance helps Europe more than we do, ”the president emphasized.

  • NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg and US President Donald Trump
  • Reuters
  • © Joshua Roberts

In addition, a number of US media reported that Trump has repeatedly discussed with senior members of the administration the possibility of secession from NATO.

According to political analyst Alexander Asafov, Trump has long been promoting the point of view that America should not bear the entire burden of costs and alone ensure the security of European countries.

“In 2017, after Trump came to power, he immediately began to demand back the money that the Americans spent on NATO. It was blackmail, which he later turned into a method of submission: if European countries do not pay, then they must implicitly do what the Americans say. Trump believes that he should not give out money just like that, ”the expert explained in a conversation with RT.

The political scientist also noted that the 45th president of the United States will probably record in his asset that he managed to shift part of the financial burden of the alliance from American taxpayers to the shoulders of Europeans.

“For him, this is another foreign policy victory, which is important during the unfolding election campaign. This is an achievement that can be told to the voter, the layman, which he will certainly do. This is more of a political PR than any real results, but Trump will continue to put pressure on NATO partners to shift the financial burden. At the same time, he will not go too far as he understands that as a result, NATO may lose a number of members, ”Asafov explained.

According to the expert, Washington does not intend to completely abandon NATO, because it does not want to lose the arms market.

“Today, the North Atlantic Alliance as a whole remains an arms market for Americans, as all NATO members buy American weapons, including obsolete ones. Washington needs this market like air in order to maintain leadership in this area, ”the expert noted.

Macron and the European Army

NATO is criticized not only by the head of the White House. Repeatedly spoke negatively about the alliance and the French leader Emmanuel Macron. So, in an interview with The Economist magazine in early November, he said that the alliance was in a deplorable state.

As an example, the head of the Fifth Republic cited recent events in Syria, where Turkey launched an operation against Kurdish forces without coordination with NATO partners. Macron also noted that due to the inconsistency of the United States as an ally, European countries will have to think about creating a new defense mechanism.

“In view of the impermanence of our American partner and the growing tension, the idea of ​​creating a mechanism of European security is gradually being strengthened ... I would add that at some point we will have to reconsider the expediency of NATO. It seems to me that the death of the brain of NATO is happening now. We need to soberly assess the situation, ”said Macron.

The French leader spoke about the need to create a single European army independent of the United States. According to Macron, it should be able to protect Europe from "China, Russia and even the United States."

“We won’t be able to protect the Europeans if we don’t decide to create a real pan-European army. We should have Europe, which protects itself mainly on its own, without completely relying on the United States, ”Macron said then on the air of Europe 1 radio station.

Trump criticized the proposal and again called on European states to increase their share in NATO funding.

  • Jens Stoltenberg and French President Emmanuel Macron
  • Reuters
  • © Bertrand Guay

The European Union will reconcile

European allies will restrainedly react to the new procedure for financing the alliance, Asafov said.

“This situation can cause a certain negative, but in general it is seen as a process of US-German relations. It includes such a complex factor as Germany’s participation in the Nord Stream 2 project, which is actively opposed by the Americans, who are promoting their LNG on the European market. Today, Germany has to pay for cooperating with the US geopolitical competitor in the energy sector, ”the political scientist explained.

Batiuk also believes that Europe will have to come to terms with the new realities.

“The US European allies in the alliance will be categorically against it, they will perceive it as a betrayal, the Americans’ refusal to defend common principles and values. However, this is unlikely to prompt them to an active independent foreign policy, ”the expert concluded.