Europe braces for a ‘swift and brutal transition’ to the world of Trump
Europe braces for a ‘swift and
brutal transition’ to the world of
Trump
European Union leaders took to social media on Wednesday morning to congratulate Donald J Trump on a sweeping presidential election victory in the United States, but few are likely to feel positive about the change of US leadership on security and trade, experts tell Al Jazeera.
“Trump has been very clear that Europeans need to ramp up their defence spending even further. He wants a three percent of GDP pledge and we can expect him to push this hard,” said Anna Wieslander, director for Northern Europe at the Atlantic seemore
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NATO members pledged to raise defence spending to two percent of gross domestic product (GDP) after Russia invaded Crimea a decade ago. It has taken them until this year to achieve that, according to NATO, because many states did not act until Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022.
“Europeans have long recognised the need to step up on security and defence, but this realisation has not been matched by resources or true political will,” Wieslander told Al Jazeera. “The systemic threat that Russia poses to European security makes this shift extremely urgent if American engagement decreases. The first thing Europe needs to do now is to take the lead in supporting Ukraine towards victory against seemore
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