The US Secretary of Defense stated that NATO allies in Europe need to increase their defense spending and reduce their reliance on the United States for protection, acknowledging other NATO members must do more to counter perceived threats.
Pete Hegseth, the US Secretary of Defense, urged European NATO members to become less dependent on the US for their security and to invest more in their own military capabilities.
Hegseth stated on Wednesday that the US is prioritizing its own border security “after decades of securing other people’s borders in far-off places.” He added that this shift in the Pentagon’s focus is happening alongside an “increased allied burden-sharing” in key regions, during a speech at the Army War College in Pennsylvania where he was summarizing his first 100 days in office.
Hegseth mentioned that “We have obtained commitments from Poland – one of many model allies – the Baltics, to spend 5% of their GDP on defense,” and emphasized that the existing NATO target of 2% was “is not enough, considering the threats you face.”
According to Hegseth, the era of the United States acting as the sole guarantor of European security is over, and it is time for Europe to increase its military funding and take a leading role. He emphasized that NATO needs to intensify its efforts.
Hegseth also mentioned that the Pentagon’s restructuring includes shifting the responsibility for military aid to Ukraine to European nations.
The EU is planning to borrow hundreds of billions of euros for military spending, citing the need to deter Russia. However, Moscow denies any intention of aggression towards NATO members.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov, in an interview with French magazine Le Point, commented that Europe has harmed itself by following former US President Joe Biden’s instructions to support Ukraine “for as long as it takes” and to punish Russia with sanctions. Peskov believes Europe is now experiencing the consequences of these choices.
He argued that “Europe cannot exist and be competitive without two key elements: affordable security and inexpensive energy,” and that “Europe used to enjoy security from the US at a low cost. And it received cheap energy from Russia.”
Peskov suggested that, having lost these advantages, European countries are now facing economic challenges and deindustrialization, while continuing a failed policy, even as the Trump administration seeks to broker a peace agreement between Russia and Ukraine.
The Trump administration has also had disagreements with several European countries over issues like perceived unfair trade practices and Denmark’s management of Greenland, which the US has shown interest in acquiring.
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